


Pushing the Limits

by Katiegirl901



Category: NCIS
Genre: Ellick, F/M, Slibbs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-03-08 19:00:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 62,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18900703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katiegirl901/pseuds/Katiegirl901
Summary: "Everything okay, Boss?" Special Agent Timothy McGee asked, looking at his boss and mentor with concern in his eyes. "No," He replied quietly, "what happens now?" What happens after Elena is reunited with her father? Slibbs fanfic with hints of Ellick and McLilah!





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> So I am now on A03! I will be posting both here and on Fanfiction.Net!

ONE

NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs watched as the young girl clung to her father, the nagging feeling in his gut was reflected on the face of Special Agent Jaqueline 'Jack' Sloan, her pursed lips and sad eyes expressing exactly what he was feeling.

"Everything okay, Boss?" Special Agent Timothy McGee asked, looking at his boss and mentor with concern in his eyes.

“No," He replied quietly, "what happens now?" He asked.

"That's a good question." Jack muttered as she moved to stand beside Gibbs, "Leon wants us up in his office." She added, nodding up at the cat walk where NCIS Director Leon Vance stood, overlooking the scene below him, he nodded his head discreetly towards his office and pushed off of the railing.

Gibbs nodded silently and followed Jack up the stairs, his hand hovering over the small of her back. He followed her into Vance's office and waited until she had taken a seat before he closed the door to the office and stepped up behind her, resting his hands on the back of her chair.

"What can we do for you, Leon?" Jack asked after a moment of silence.

"I suspect both of you have questions about what is going on." Vance stated, looking between Gibbs and Jack.

"What happens now?" Gibbs asked.

"You were never one to beat around the bush, Gibbs." Vance replied with a slight smirk, "Elena's immigration hearing is being put on hold until Javier's trial is over, her father needs to testify in front of a judge and jury before anything can be decided about whether or not they can stay."

"He has a target on his back right now, means Elena does too." Gibbs stated, "she's the perfect pressure point."

"Which is the other reason I brought you both here, Elena's father will be put in witness protection, we feel that keeping them together poses an even greater risk to their safety, it makes it easier for any potential threats to hurt both of them." Vance explained.

"So what's the plan then?" Gibbs interrupted.

Vance smirked and shook his head, "if you would give me a minute I would explain that, either we put her in WitSec separate from her father until it is safe or we keep her in NCIS protective custody."

"She knows us, she's used to us." Jack stated.

"Which is what I argued." Vance replied.

"Do we even have jurisdiction?" Gibbs asked after a moment.

"NCIS has a special interest in making sure Javier Martinez and La Vida Mala are taken down for good, given the circumstances and our track record for protecting witnesses WitSec has agreed to let us keep Elena in our custody, at least for a few days while they try and make arrangements." Vance replied, "that is if you would be interested and willing, Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs tried his best to ignore the hopeful look on Jack's face as she looked up at him, he knew she was getting attached the little girl, hell he was getting attached but he knew that was dangerous, for all of them, Elena included.

"I'll do it." He replied.

His answer surprised even himself, he hadn't even completely thought it through before agreeing to take the brown haired little girl. It must be hard, having another little girl in here, but you must have some good memories. The words were echoing around in his head, the words that had been nagging him since Jack had spoken them the night before. He did have good memories, memories of a house filled with love and laughter, memories of a house that was a home, before it had become a tomb, a place his ghosts had come to haunt him. It had gotten easier in the last few years, his team had played a large part in making his house more of a home again but having a child in it, a little girl, had added something to it that he wasn't quite ready to give up yet.

"Elena will be able to have supervised visits with her father as soon as we can arrange for it but the next few days are going to be hard on her." Vance reminded him, "Are you sure you're going to be able to handle that?"

"That little girl has been through hell and survived, Leon, she'll be fine." He replied.

He was confident that Elena would be able to handle whatever the coming days threw at her but he was prepared to deal with it if she couldn't, he would be there for her in a way that he hadn't been able to be for Kelly.

"If you're sure that you'll be able to handle it I'll let WitSec know that we'll be keeping her in our custody for the next few days." Vance responded with a small nod, "now that that is settled I do have a few more calls to make regarding this case."

Gibbs and Jack both nodded, seeing the polite dismissal for what it was, Gibbs waited until they were out of the inner office before grabbing Jack's arm gently, she turned around and looked at him in surprise. Gibbs wasn't a touchy person and she knew that, it was very rare that he laid a hand on anyone, and even more rare that he would touch her in anyway besides resting a hand on the small of her back to lead her somewhere. It was the look in his eyes that worried her the most though, the look of apprehension and the hidden sadness behind it.

"I know that look." Jack stated with a small sigh, "what's wrong?"

"You're getting attached." Gibbs replied with a shrug, "not a good idea, 'specially not with a case like this." He reminded her.

"I am not getting attached." Jack argued, "don't give me that look." She warned when he simply raised an eyebrow at her, "I know what I'm doing Gibbs, this isn't my first rodeo."

"Alright." He responded raising one shoulder, "just be careful."

"I'm always careful." She replied with a small smirk, "it's you who's always running into things without thinking, as much as you like to argue it you follow your heart not your head, especially when it comes to kids."

Gibbs smirked, he knew he couldn't argue with that, hell he had run in heart first when it came to Elena without even thinking about the consequences. Jack chuckled softly at his smirk and shook her head slightly, she hadn't known Gibbs for long and although he was difficult to read sometimes she could tell exactly what he was thinking at that moment.

"How do you want to tell Elena?" Jack asked, her voice more serious now.

"We just tell her exactly how it is, she'll know if we lie or try to sugar coat it." Gibbs replied.

"So this is a we thing?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Has been so far, doesn't need to be if you don't want it to be." Gibbs respond with a shrug, "just figured you'd want to be involved."

"I want to be involved, as long as that's what you want too."

"Can use all the help I can get." Gibbs replied with a smirk, "don't know what the hell I'm doing."

"Neither do I." Jack stated with a small laugh, "we can muddle through together."

Gibbs chuckled and followed her out onto the catwalk, he paused and looked down on the squad-room and felt his heart sink again as he looked down at Elena talking to her father. She was a tough kid, of that he was sure, he just wasn't sure how much more she could handle.

"She'll be fine." Jack said quietly, her gaze following Gibbs' down to the bullpen, "she's one tough cookie."

Gibbs smiled when Elena looked up and noticed them, the young girl smiled widely and waved up at them, Gibbs gave her a small wave while Jack did the same beside him. As they made their way down to the bullpen Gibbs saw the exact moment when Elena realized something was wrong, her eyes darkened and her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I am not going with Papa am I?" She asked quietly when Jack and Gibbs approached.

Jack sighed and knelt down in front of the child, she rested her hands on Elena's shoulders and gave her head a small shake.

"I'm sorry sweetie, not yet, we have to work out a few things first but then you can be with him," She whispered, "I promise, okay?"

Jack gave her a sad smile when Elena nodded and looked back at her father who was talking quietly with Gibbs.

"May I please say goodbye?" Elena asked quietly .

"Of course." Jack replied, she gave the girl's shoulders a gentle squeeze before standing up and leading her over to her father.


	2. Chapter Two

TWO

Jack closed and locked the front door behind her, she could hear Gibbs moving around in the kitchen but didn’t hear Elena’s voice or small footsteps. Gibbs had taken the girl home two hours prior but she’d stayed at work to finish up a few things, she shifted the take out bags to her other hand and kicked off her heels.

“Hello!” She called out as she walked through the living room.

“We’re in the kitchen!” Gibbs called back

She made her way into the kitchen and grinned at Elena who was sitting on the counter with an old picture book open in her lap.

“Why’re are you sitting on the counter, Little Lady?” She asked, pushing Elena’s hair out of her face.

“I wanted to look at my book in the kitchen, but there was no where to sit.”

“Ahh.” Jack replied, nodding at the child’s logic, “that makes sense.”

“Did you get burgers?” Gibbs asked, nodding at the bags in Jack’s hands.

“Yup, eventually we’re going to have to eat something else.” Jack replied with a small grin.

“Why? They have the four food groups, meat, cheese, bread and vegetables.” Gibbs responded with a shrug.

“We’ve had burgers for the last four meals, at this point I’m not going to fit in my pants in a week.” Jack laughed, “we ate cheeseburgers for breakfast!” 

Gibbs chuckled and pulled three plates out of the cupboard, and placed them on the dining-room table, he went back to the kitchen to grab glasses and almost ran right into Jack who had three glasses in her hands.

It had been a long time since he had bothered to eat at the dining room table, longer since he’d actually bothered to set it and even longer since he’d had help. The only time he ate at the dining room table was when Tobias Fornell came over and even then Tobias cooked and set the table or they ate out of takeout containers. 

“I like hamburgers.” Elena piped up from the kitchen.

“How about we do bacon and eggs for breakfast tomorrow, give Jack a break from the burgers.” Gibbs suggested as he helped Elena hop down from the counter.

“Alright.” Elena replied reluctantly, “are you going to be here for breakfast?” She asked, turning to Jack.

She looked over at Gibbs who shrugged.

“Gotta have two people here for protection detail, can call Torres or Bishop in if you wanna sleep in you’re own bed, but you’re more than welcome to stay.” Gibbs said.

“I’ll be here for breakfast.” She replied, grinning at Elena, “but only if Gibbs makes pancakes with the bacon and eggs.” 

“Deal.” Gibbs promised as he pulled burgers and fries out of the bags and handed them around, “now eat your supper and we can do something fun after.” 

“What can we do?” Elena asked around a bite of her burger.

“Well, we could watch a movie, or play a game.” Jack suggested.

She wished she could suggest going to the park or going out to do something but she knew they couldn’t take anywhere that would put Elena at risk.

“Can we read something?” Elena asked, “I would like to learn how to read.” 

“I think we could work on that.” Jack replied with a nod, “I picked up a few things that you might like.” She added with a wink.

She had stopped at a bookstore on her way home and picked up a couple of workbooks designed for homeschool kids. She wished more than anything that Elena could be in school but it would have to wait for at least a few weeks. Her biggest hope was that eventually Elena could go to school in America, she knew however that she was more likely to be sent back to San Salvador where she would probably never go to school. 

“Something for me?” Elena asked in awe.

“Yup, just for you but Gibbs and I might need to help you a bit.” Jack replied.

Gibbs shot her a questioning look but she simply shook her head and mouthed the word ‘later’. They finished their meal in relative silence and quickly cleaned up.

“Would you like to see what I got you?” Jack asked as she handed Gibbs the last dry plate.

“Yes please!” Elena exclaimed.

“Okay, go into the living room and I’ll bring it to you.” Jack instructed.

She smiled at the child’s enthusiastic smile and had to bite back a laugh when she bolted for the living room. 

“She’s handling everything well.” Gibbs stated quietly once he was sure Elena was out of hearing range.

“For now.” Jack replied, “she’ll break down eventually.” 

She wished it wasn’t true but she knew that a complete break down was coming, she knew that although Elena knew what was going on with her father she hadn’t completely accepted it, hadn’t quite realized what it would mean for herself. She heard Gibbs’ sigh and placed a hand on his shoulder, she gave it a gentle squeeze and stepped away.

“I’d better get in there before her head explodes.” She said, trying to make her voice sound upbeat.

It sounded weak to her own ears but she pasted a smile on her face and picked up the bag she had left on the counter and carried it into the living room.

"Now I know you want to go to school but that can't happen just yet." Jack said softly, "but I think I found something that will work in the mean time." She added, handing the bag over to Elena.

Jack watched a large smile spread across Elena's face when she saw what was inside the bag.

"It's a couple of work books and everything we need to have school right here and at NCIS when you come into work with us." She explained.

"I will be able to learn?" Elena asked in awe.

"Yup." Jack replied, "we can do a little bit everyday and then when you can actually go to school you'll be all ready!”

“Thank you.” Elena whispered, throwing herself into Jack’s arms.

Gibbs leaned against the archway between the living and dining room and watch Jack hug the girl, he was glad that Elena was comfortable with him and Jack but he was afraid of how attached Jack was getting, how attached he was getting. It had only been two days and already he could tell it would be painful when they had to let her go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry for the wait on this chapter! (Warning there will be a bit of a spoiler for last nights episode in this note!) My muse kind of died while the show was on hiatus and we haven’t had any major Slibbs developments until last night…THEY HELD HANDS YOU GUYS!!!!! I literally almost died! I hope you enjoyed this chapter even if nothing major happened I’m really hoping to update this more often and there will be a new chapter of Tomorrow’s Family up tomorrow (like 95% chance) Thanksgiving (Canadian girl here) threw me right off schedule and then I was insanely busy and sick last week… Remember I own nothing it all belongs to DPB.


	3. Chapter Three

THREE

Jack let her head fall back against the couch in exhaustion, it had been almost forty-eight hours since she had had more than an hour of sleep at a time and she was feeling it. Elena had gone to bed half an hour earlier, it had taken a good amount of convincing to get her to take a break from her books but she had finally given in when Gibbs had promised she could work as long as she wanted to the next day. 

She tucked her legs under her and pulled the blanket she had found beside the couch around her shoulders, Gibbs’ house wasn’t particularly cold but she was having a hard time staying warm. The weather was still cold in late April and her mind kept flashing back to the first time she had ever stepped foot in Gibbs’ house, completely drenched and chilled to the bone. 

Gibbs watched Jack pull the blanket around her shoulders more tightly and moved into the living room, he saw her open her eyes slightly to acknowledge him before closing them again.

“Is she asleep?” She asked quietly.

“Oh yeah, out before her head even hit the pillow.” Gibbs replied with a smirk, “I made the guest room up for ya, it’s not fancy but it’s comfortable.”

Jack raised her head and watched Gibbs crouch down in front of the fireplace, poking at the small fire he had started earlier.

“I could have just slept on the couch, but thank you.” 

She was nervous about sleeping upstairs, she didn’t want to wake Gibbs or Elena up if she had a nightmare and she definitely didn’t want to scare Elena if she started calling out in her sleep.

“Gibbs…” She started slowly, “if I have a nightmare don’t touch me, okay?” 

She knew it probably sounded weird but the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him in her sleep, she slept alone for a reason and she would never forgive herself if she hurt the man she considered to be a good friend. 

“I won’t.” He promised.

She was glad he didn’t press her on it, she knew that he probably understood without having to ask, he had been through his own war, he had been captured and tortured not that long ago he knew what it was like to fight the nightmares that came with that. 

“Is there anything I should do?” Gibbs asked, “anything that’ll help?”

“Keep Elena away.” She replied slowly.

She didn’t want the girl to see her like that, she didn’t want Gibbs to see her like that but it was a safe bet that if their protection detail went on for more than a week he would. She couldn’t stay awake forever, as much as she wished she could.

Gibbs nodded and stood up slowly, he grabbed his book off of the coffee table and sat down on the other side of the couch. 

“There are towels on your bed and I think Abby has some shampoo and conditioner in the shower if you wanna take a shower.” He offered before opening his book. 

“Thank you, I think I might just do that.” 

She stood up and stretched, she was careful to make sure her shirt didn’t rise too high on her back as she stretched.

“What’s the game plan for tomorrow?” Gibbs asked.

Jack paused and turned to face Gibbs, she had no idea how long they could entertain Elena at NCIS and she also had no idea how Gibbs liked to go about his normal routine. 

“It’s up to you, this is your house, you make the rules.” 

“You’ve never been shy here before Jack.” He reminded her with a grin, “I can make breakfast for 0630 and we can be at work for 0730 if that works for you.” He suggested.

“Sounds good to me.” Jack replied, “let’s just hope that Elena is a morning person.” 

Elena had slept on the couch in Jack’s office the night before and had been up on and off worrying about what was going on a Gibbs’ house, no one had had any real sleep in close to forty eight hours and Jack was willing to bet they wouldn’t have a good time waking Elena up the next morning. 

“Somehow I don’t think we’re gonna get that lucky, probably not a bad idea to get to bed.” He said, closing his book again and standing up, “Agents outside will make sure we don’t have any unwelcome visitors.”

Jack nodded and bid Gibbs a quick goodnight before heading upstairs, she took a quick shower before crawling into bed, she barely had time to think over the events of the day before she was sound asleep.

N*C*I*S

Fortunately for them Elena was at least a bit of a morning person. Jack had woken up at 0500 and had taken her time getting ready for work, she made her way downstairs at 0530 and found Gibbs sitting in the dining-room drinking coffee with a paper open in front of him. 

“Morning Cowboy.” She greeted as she made a beeline for the coffee maker. 

Gibbs grinned into his mug and nodded hello to her before going back to his paper, he wouldn’t admit it out loud but he enjoyed Jack’s generally happy attitude. He watched her grab a mug from the cupboard and pour herself a cup of coffee before pouring about a cup of sugar into it.

“Wipe that grimace off of your face, Gibbs.” She called from the kitchen. 

She still had her back turned to him but he could hear the grin in her voice.

“Not my fault you ruin perfectly good coffee.” Gibbs muttered.

“Well if you didn’t make it taste like jet-fuel we wouldn’t have this problem.” Jack countered, “it’s not my fault your tastebuds are dead.” 

Gibbs snorted and lowered the paper completely, it had been a long time since he’d had someone to banter with during breakfast.

“So when’re you going to make me those pancakes?” Jack asked, “I want to know if you can make something more than steak on the fireplace, which I’ve heard is legendary by the way.” 

She placed her mug on the table across from Gibbs and took a seat, tucking one foot under herself as she sat.

“Gonna finish this then I'll make breakfast." He replied, "you want a section?" 

Jack shook her head at the offered paper and held out her iPhone for him to see.

“I’ve got it all on my phone.” She replied, “Thank you though.”

“It’s not the same on your phone.” Gibbs grumbled, “there’s nothing like actually holding the paper.” 

Jack rolled her eyes at him and opened the paper on her phone, they read in companionable silence for half an hour before Gibbs closed his paper and pushed his chair back before standing up, she didn’t look up from her paper until he returned a minute later the coffee pot in one hand and the sugar container in the other.

“Thank you.” She said as she held out her mug. 

“Welcome, gonna start breakfast, how do you like your eggs?” 

“Over easy, I can give you a hand.” Jack offered, “I love to cook but it’s kind of pointless when it’s only me at my place.” She added when Gibbs looked like he was ready to protest.

She grabbed her coffee off of the table and followed him into the kitchen, she watched him open a drawer and pull out something pink and frilly before tossing it at her. She held the apron out in front of her and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well this is very... frilly.” She commented with a raised eyebrow.

“Don’t want you to get your outfit dirty.” He replied.

Jack glanced down at her outfit and nodded, she hadn’t had a chance to go home so she only had the outfit that had been in her go bag, a black long-sleeved sweater and loose grey dress pants. She pulled the apron over her head and tied it around her waist and tried to ignore Gibbs’ chuckle.

“Times’ like this I wish I knew how to use the camera on my phone.” He stated with a smirk.

Jack rolled her eyes but grabbed Gibbs’ phone off of the counter and opened it, it took her a minute to figure out how to pull of the camera feature on his piece of ancient history but once she did she grinned triumphantly and held the phone out to Gibbs who took it with a puzzled look. 

“Okay, the camera is open now you just point it and and click the big button in the middle.” She instructed, “okay no, your finger is in front of the camera.” She stated.

She shook her head with a grin and moved his finger away from the lens, she smiled and held out the apron while he took the picture. She grinned when she heard the noise that signified the picture had been taken and took the phone from him to pull it up.

“Now you know how to work the camera on your phone.” She said with a grin.

“This one of those selfie things Torres is always taking?” Gibbs asked, squinting at his phone.

“No.” Jack replied with a laugh, “a selfie is a picture of yourself, watch.” She moved next to Gibbs and held out the phone, “now smile.”

She waited until Gibbs offered the camera a small grin and quickly took the picture, she looked down at the photo and smiled even wider, it was a ridiculous picture with her in the pink frilly apron but Gibbs’ grin made her smile. She pressed a few buttons until she figured out how to send the picture to herself.

“Okay, now that that’s out of the way lets get to making breakfast!” She ordered.

“You're bossy this morning.” Gibbs commented with a smirk.

“It’s your coffee.” Jack replied with a shrug, "it has that affect on me."

It only took fifteen minutes of them banging around to wake Elena up, Jack smiled as the child wandered into the kitchen rubbing her eyes tiredly.

“You are both loud.” She commented groggily.

“Well good morning to you too.” Jack replied.

She moved to gently brush Elena’s tangled hair out of her face and tapped the little girls nose with her finger.

“We’ve got breakfast going.” Jack told her, “what kind of pancake’s do you want, chocolate chip, gummy-worm or just plain?”

“Gummy-worm?” Elena asked slowly.

“Oh yeah.” Jack replied, she made her eyes go wide as she nodded.

“May I have one of each?” Elena asked.

“Uh, yeah!” Jack exclaimed, “that sounds pretty darn good to me too.” 

Gibbs watched the exchange with a small smile on his face, he quickly turned though when he saw how happy Elena looked. She was getting attached to Jack and he was constantly reminded of how dangerous that was for all three of them. 

“Okay, let’s get the table set while Gibbs finishes making the pancakes.” 

Gibbs had just flipped the last pancake onto a plate when there was a knock on the front door, he reached for his gun and stepped away from the stove.

“Elena, come help Jack bring everything into the dining room and I’ll go see who’s at the door.” Gibbs ordered gently.

He nodded reassuringly at Jack as he passed her, the chances of it being someone dangerous were pretty low, there were agents outside for a reason but he still wanted to be careful. He relaxed when he saw Bishop standing in front of the door.  
“Mornin.’” He greeted after he opened the door.

“Good morning Gibbs, I just wanted to check in on you guys and let you know that Ruiz made it through the night just fine.” Ellie replied quietly. 

“Come on in.” Gibbs offered, nodding towards the kitchen, “we made breakfast, more than enough to go around.” 

“Do I smell pancakes?” Ellie asked, her eyes widening when she saw the dining room table, “Are those gummy worm pancakes?!” 

“Yes Ma’am.” Jack replied.

Gibbs watched Jack get up to grab another plate and took a seat at the end of the table while Ellie sat on the other end, he handed Elena a chocolate chip pancake and took a plain one for himself while Jack took a seat to his right. 

“This is amazing.” Ellie stated with a moan.

Gibbs chuckled and had another drink of his coffee, he immediately spit it back in the cup when what could only be described as coffee flavoured syrup passed his lips.

“This is yours.” He said, his nose wrinkling in disgust. 

Jack and Ellie both burst into laughter as they watched Gibbs stand up to get Jack a new coffee, he returned a minute later with a pink mug, very different from his white one to avoid a repeat incident.

“You want anything to drink, Bishop?” He asked.

“I think I’ll just have some milk please.” Ellie replied with a smile, “thank you both for breakfast it’s really good.” 

Jack and Gibbs both nodded at the younger blonde and went back to eating their breakfasts, both of them shook their heads when Ellie and Elena both finished off four pancakes, a scoop full of scrambled eggs and four pieces of bacon each. 

“I guess it’s a good thing I did groceries last night.” Jack said with a laugh, “Apparently we’re going to need them.”

“We are growing girls.” Ellie stated, “Right Elena?”

“Si!” Elena agreed with a grin, “we are growing girls.” 

“Alright well this ‘growing girl’,” Jack said, nodding at Elena, “needs to go and brush her teeth and hair and get dressed so we can get going.” 

Elena nodded and stood up, she grabbed her plate and brought it into the kitchen and placed it in the sink before returning to the dining-room.

“Ellie, could you do my hair for me please?” She asked, making puppy eyes at Ellie who laughed but nodded before standing up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some fluffly filler for this chapter... To the guest who asked if Elena's father is dead he is not, he is in witness protection awaiting trial and Gibbs and Jack are on protection detail for Elena... Thank you everyone for your reviews I just want to give everyone a reminder that I am accepting prompts for Semper Fidelis my new one shot collection! Remember I own nothing, have a happy and safe Halloween everyone!
> 
> ~Katie


	4. Chapter Four

FOUR

Gibbs looked up from his computer when he heard familiar laughter rounding the corner, he grinned when he saw Jack pushing Elena on a rolling chair towards him. He was switching back and forth between reading the teams reports for their latest case and the witness statement Ruiz had given them about La Vida Mala. He closed the file on La Vida Mala and turned to face Jack and Elena, both of whom were grinning widely.

“I won two rounds against Jack in soccer!” Elena exclaimed.

“Did you?” Gibbs asked with a raised eyebrow, “I think Jack needs to practice more.” 

“Speaking of practice, can Elena work on her workbook down here for a bit?” Jack asked, “I want to run down and talk to Abby about the Pearson case.” 

She was fascinated by Gibbs’ latest case, and wanted to see if she could find out more from Abby but having a ten year old trailing after her made it a bit difficult. 

“That’s fine.” Gibbs replied, “I should be done in about an hour.” 

“Alright.” Jack replied, “I’ll be back by then.”

Jack gave Elena’s shoulder a quick squeeze before heading for the back elevator, it had been four days since they had taken Elena. So far they hadn’t had any major incidents, Elena had remained her usual upbeat self but Jack and Gibbs could both see that it was starting to wear on her. 

Jack had had a rough night the night before, starting with a nightmare at midnight and ending with Elena waking up screaming at 0500. As soon as she had calmed down Elena had acted like nothing had happened and neither Jack or Gibbs had pushed the issue, for now they were willing to let Elena figure out how she wanted to cope on her own. As for Jack the nightmare hadn’t been as bad as usual and she had woken up frozen in fear rather than screaming for help, but the night had left her exhausted none the less. 

She found Abby and MI6 Agent Clayton Reeve’s down in Abby’s lab, she smiled as she listened to them discussing their dinner plans for that evening. It made her happy to see that everyone had something going on for their Friday night, Gibbs had invited people over for a poker night a week earlier, before everything with Elena and after debating they had agreed that they would still do it. McGee was spending the night with his family and Ellie and Nick were doing something or other, she wasn’t quite sure what. 

She contemplated interrupting them but decided against it, she silently backed out of the lab and went back up to her office, she shook her head when she saw the amount of disarray in her normally organized domain. There were colouring books and picture books spread all around the room, the video game console was still pulled out where she had left it and Elena’s jacket and rain boots were tossed in the corner with her backpack. Gibbs' normally clutter free house wasn't very far off from the chaos in her office, between her and Elena the house definitely looked more lived in. 

She had returned to her house to collect enough clothes for the week as well as some personal belongings, her laptop and a few books to keep herself entertained after Elena went to bed, mostly. It had only been four days but she had grown used to having the girl in her life, she had gotten used to going home to Elena's cheerful chatter. She had even gotten used to having Gibbs around, she liked knowing that he would either be there when she and Elena went to his house or be there shortly after she got there. 

She tidied up her office and signed off on a few files before beginning to pack up hers and Elena's belongings. She gathered everything together and locked her office behind her before heading back up to the bullpen where Elena was bent over her workbook with her earphones on and a look of concentration on her face. The squad room was still relatively busy since it was only 1700 but the only member of Gibbs' team still present was Bishop who was munching on a bag of chips and reading a file on the floor behind her desk, still in view of Elena but not hovering over her. 

She lightly tapped on the edge of Ellie's desk and waited for the younger woman to look up before gesturing to her earbuds. 

"Where is Gibbs?" She asked quietly, trying not to disturb Elena.

"He had to go see Director Vance, he sent everyone else home." 

"You can head out too if you want, I can take over." Jack offered, "It's a Friday night, go and do something fun."

"I'm just finishing this up and then I'll head out." Ellie replied, "although if you and Gibbs wanted a break tonight I can babysit so you can do something fun."  
"Don't worry about us." Jack replied with a dismissive wave, "we're having a poker night tonight you go home and enjoy a night off, I'm learning that they're few and far between around here."

"They are pretty rare." Bishop agreed with a grin, "I think I'll go home, take a bath and maybe watch a movie." 

"Make sure you have a glass of wine for me somewhere in there." Jack replied.

"Will do." Ellie promised, "I just have a few sentences left on this and then I'll head out." 

"I'll let you get back to it."

Jack nodded and moved across the bullpen to sit at McGee's desk, she pulled out her phone and started to read over the latest psychology journal Ducky had sent her way. She paused for a moment when Ellie left to wave goodbye before going back to her reading, she was almost halfway done when Gibbs reappeared.

"Did ya get a chance to talk to Abbs?" He asked.

"No, she and Reeves were having a good time and I didn't want to interrupt, I'll pick her brain on Monday." Jack replied, "Do you have anything left to do or are you ready to go?"

"I'm ready when you two are." Gibbs responded, "We'll have to break that one out of her own little world though." He added, nodding in Elena's direction with a grin, "she hasn't moved in close to an hour." 

Jack shook her head with a fond smile and stood up, it took her a minute to drag Elena's attention away from her studies but soon enough they were all packed up and ready to head out for the weekend. She was a bit concerned with how they would keep the ten year old entertained all weekend but she was sure they would manage, Gibbs would probably convince her to work on the boat with him if nothing else worked. After the insane week they had had Jack was pretty sure they were all ready for some peace and relaxation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everybody! This chapter is much shorter than I normally do but I really wanted to separate it from the next chapter (I'm sure you all know what happens next) I hope everyone enjoyed and please remember that I own nothing :(... I do however love love love to hear from all of you!  
> ~Katie


	5. Chapter 5

FIVE

Peace it seemed would be nonexistent. Jack watched the blood drain from Gibbs' face as he spoke into his cell phone, she couldn't hear the conversation but she knew something was seriously wrong and from the looks on the faces of everyone else in the room they agreed with her. 

"McGee slow down!" He ordered harshly.

She watched him run his hand over his face and quickly give quiet instructions to McGee on the other end of the line before hanging up and turning to the table. 

"Abby and Clayton were attacked on the side of the road, they don't know much but there were shots fired, Abby was hit and is on route to Bethesda." He said, his voice breaking slightly on Abby's name.

"And Reeves?" Vance asked, slipping immediately into director mode.

"He... He um, didn't make it." Gibbs replied.

Jack tried to school her features, tried to be strong for the man who looked ready to crumble to the ground in front of her but she couldn't stop the small gasp that escaped. 

"I need to get to the hospital." He stated, his voice dazed, "Tobias can you and Jack stay here with Elena?" 

"Of course, are you gonna be okay to drive?" Tobias asked, looking at his friend with concern.

"Yeah, I'll be good, Leon they're gonna need you at the Navy Yard, I want this case." 

"I'll make sure of it." He promised firmly. 

Jack looked away from Gibbs, she needed a minute to gather her own emotions but soon felt a hand fall on her shoulder.

"You gonna be okay here?" Gibbs asked.

"We'll be fine." Jack promised, she reached up and gave his hand a gentle squeeze, "go be with your family."

N*C*I*S

By the time Jack made it into NCIS at 0600 she knew it would be one of the worst days in NCIS history, they lost agents all the time. It was horrible but it happened and people mourned but the thought that they might lose Abby, the person who brought light to otherwise gruelling job, the one person who could make anyone in the building smile, one of the few people who were supposed to be safe brought a shadow over the building. 

It took her almost six hours to finally track Gibbs down and when she finally found him it was in the darkened morgue.

"There ya are." She greeted gently, "I've been looking for you all day." She added when he only nodded in greeting.

"I've been busy." 

She isn't prepared for how tired, how defeated his voice sounds.

"More like purposely avoiding me." She countered gently, "Reeves was a member of your team Gibbs, you should talk about him."

"Talk?" Gibbs asked, "that gonna help him?"

"No, but it might help you." She replied pointedly.

"You know what would help me, Jack?" He asked, "give me some answers." 

"I have some." 

It is the announcement from Ducky that breaks the moment between them, Jack is almost surprised by how much tension is lifted by the arrival of the elderly doctor.

"They may not be the answers for which you are looking." Ducky stated, "but they could prove useful, cause of death is punctured aorta inflicted by two bullets to the chest. We also found bruising on his hands. Consistent with a struggle."

"Kid had a hard life, deserved better that this." Gibbs stated.

"Dr.Palmer took the slugs and his clothing up to the lab for analysis." Ducky said.

The older man could clearly see how much pain his friend was in and how exhausted the woman standing beside him looked but he had no idea what to say or do to help them. Losing a co-worker was hard, the threat of loosing another child was even harder and he knew Gibbs was blaming himself for everything that had happened to both Clay and the woman he thought of as a daughter.

"Analysis by whom?" Jack asked tiredly.

Ducky watched Jack give Gibbs' arm a gentle squeeze before she nodded her goodbyes to him and slipped out of the room in search of something else to do.

"She's a lovely woman." Ducky stated.

He knew it probably wasn't the time or place to discuss whatever was going on between the Senior Agent and the new Forensic Psychologist but he needed a distraction from the horror all around him and he was sure Gibbs could use one as well.

"Mmhmm." Gibbs agreed distractedly, "good agent."

"You seem to get along well." Ducky commented.

"Yeah," Gibbs agreed with a snort, "not always though."

"How is that little girl you are watching, Elena?" 

"She's holding up, we're holding up." Gibbs replied.

Being away from the Navy Yard for the majority of his time meant that he missed a lot of things but it was hard to miss the chemistry between Gibbs and Sloane and the way they both doted on the adorable little girl that was in their care. He was about to ask Gibbs another question when the Agent's cell phone rang.

"Gotta go Duck." He stated after hanging you, "you take care of him." He added gruffly, nodding at the body laid out on the table.

"You have my word, Jethro." The old doctor promised, "you have my word." 

N*C*I*S

Standing in interrogation listening to Spooner prove his innocence Jack wanted to punch a wall, things were falling a part all around them. Gibbs looked ready to drop down in exhaustion and the fact that someone had intentionally wanted to hurt Abby, and the fact that she was still in danger was wearing on the whole team.

"As much as I'd love to say we caught the guy responsible for Reeve's death-."

"It's not Spooner." Gibbs cut her off.

"I can't, I can't say he's reformed but Spooners defining trait is his greed. What he wants more than anything right now is freedom, not revenge." She stated with a sigh, "Gibbs, this attempt on Abby wasn't just business, whoever was behind this is someone who is calculating, connected and is holding a serious grudge. You know anyone like that?"

The look on Gibbs' face told her everything she needed to know, his verbal confirmation wasn't needed. She wanted to reach out to him as he left, to try and take away some of the hurt he was feeling but she knew she couldn't, she knew he wouldn't accept her offer to tag along for moral support so she didn't even bother asking. She simply let him walk away and tried to think of anything that might make this disaster better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my writers block for Tomorrow's Family is absolutely destroying me right now so instead of your weekly update for that I will offer you this as a peace offering, I promise there will be more for Tomorrow's Family I just have to get passed what I'm stuck on... Please remember I own nothing, any recognizable dialogue is from Two Steps Back and belongs to the CBS and NCIS!! Thank you guys so much for your reviews and Happy Thanksgiving to any American readers!
> 
> ~Katie


	6. Chapter Six

Six

Jack wasn’t sure where Gibbs had disappeared to after leaving autopsy, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know where he took off to but with him gone her focus shifted back to Elena who was still with Tobias. She was about to pull out her cellphone to call Gibbs’ house when there was a knock on her office door, she called out a come in and waited as the door opened to reveal Vance.

“What can I do for you, Director?” Jack asked, raising an eyebrow at the man, “Have you heard anything new?”

“I haven’t heard anything yet, I came to check on you, make sure you were doing okay.”

“Why wouldn’t I be doing okay?” She asked looking at him skeptically, “I mean we’re all under a lot of stress and of course I’m worried about Abby but I think right now I probably have it the easiest.”

“You have a ten year old at home and your partner isn’t exactly a big help right now.” Vance pointed out, “I would imagine things are more than a little bit stressful right now.” 

“I’m not denying that but I’m managing, we’re managing.” Jack replied with a shrug.

“Gibbs isn’t going to rest until he has whoever did this in custody.” Vance stated.

“I’m aware of how he works.” Jack replied, “I’ve read his file and I’ve heard the stories, I wouldn’t expect any less of him.”

“You gonna be okay taking care of Elena by yourself while he does his thing? I can get someone else to take her if you think that would be easier.” He offered.

“No!” Jack exclaimed, “I mean we’re fine.” She corrected, her voice more controlled.

Vance raised his eyebrow at her and gave her a look that was a mix of pity and a warning.

“You’re getting attached.” He warned gently, “you know you can’t be doing that.”

“I’m not getting attached.” Jack scoffed, “she’s a sweet little girl who has no one right now, I’m simply helping her until she can go back to her family.” 

“I know you.” Vance reminded her, “you’re getting attached, and not just to Elena.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You and Gibbs are getting awfully close.” Vance stated gently, “you should be careful.” 

“We’re friends, that’s it.” Jack assured him, “besides I’m not getting attached.” 

“You’re both getting attached.” Vance argued, “And that’s dangerous, Jack, Gibbs has a rule about dating co-workers for a reason.”

“If he has a rule about it then it’s not an issue, Gibbs may not follow the law to a T or even agency rules but he follows his own rules.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Jack, he’s a good guy but I don’t want to see either of you get hurt.” 

“No one’s getting hurt because no one is breaking any rules.” Jack countered, “now if you’ll excuse me I need to check on Elena and then get back to work.”

The psychologist in her knew she was deflecting, she knew Vance had a point about her getting attached to Elena, it was dangerous and she knew it but she wasn’t getting attached to Gibbs. She couldn’t be getting attached to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well just a short update because I feel bad that it’s been a while and I’m stuck on Today’s New Friends again so it’s short but here you go! Remember I own nothing but I love to hear from you guys!
> 
> ~Katie


	7. Chapter 7

Seven

Maybe she was getting attached, the thought crossed her mind as she watched the flames dance in the fire place. The silence surrounding her was almost deafening, it had been two days since Abby had gotten on a plane for England with no plans to return. Gibbs had been silent since he had signed his goodbye to the woman he had thought of as a daughter, she and Gibbs had been in the basement quietly discussing Rico’s case when the doorbell had rang. She had been standing in the dining-room just out of sight as Gibbs had signed his goodbye. She had known by the look on his face as he’d turned around how hard he was taking the goth’s departure. 

The silence that had consumed the house since that moment had been almost crushing, he had put on a front when Elena was around but he didn’t bother when it was just him and her. Although he normally wasn’t overly talkative the lack of any communication at all was starting to concern her. 

She pulled the blanket on her lap up further and took off her glasses, she ran her hand through her hair and sighed softly. She was getting attached and she hated herself for it, she knew that eventually Elena would either be returned to her father or deported to SanSalvador, and she wasn’t looking forward to another goodbye. She wasn’t sure Gibbs was ready to lose another person in his life either, not after losing Abby. 

“You okay?” 

His voice startled her out of her thoughts before her mind could move on to thinking about the other person she was starting to get attached to and she jumped at the sudden noise.

“I’m fine.” She replied with a small sigh, “would be better if you hadn’t just scared the crap out of me.”

“Just got a call from Vance.” Gibbs replied, raising his hand in an apologetic gesture, “they’re announcing the ruling on Ruiz’s case tomorrow morning.”

“What does that mean for Elena?” Jack asked, sitting up straighter on the couch.

“It means that she’ll either be back with her father or back with CPS and immigration by tomorrow night.” Gibbs replied, rubbing his jaw roughly.

Jack felt like the wind had been knocked out of her, so much for having more time to prepare herself for another goodbye. She ran her hands over her face before dropping them into her lap.

“What do we tell Elena?” She asked quietly.

“Nothing until we know what’s going on.” Gibbs replied with a small shrug, “I don’t want to upset her or get her hopes up before we know anything for sure.”

“Are you sure that’s the best idea?” She asked.

“I’ve got nothin’ else right now, do you have any other ideas?”

“No.” Jack replied pursing her lips, “I don’t think there’s a good way to do this.” 

Gibbs shrugged and leaned against the wall in defeat, Jack knew he was frustrated with everything and she could empathize with that but she was too tired and frustrated to support him.

“I guess I’ll pack up her stuff tomorrow, and I’ll get all of my stuff gathered up too.” 

“Your stuff?” Gibbs asked in confusion.

“Yes.” Jack replied patiently, “I have no reason to stay if Elena’s not here.” 

“Right, yeah.” Gibbs agreed, shaking his head slightly, “I’m gonna head to bed.”

“Goodnight.” 

“Night, Jack.” Gibbs replied.

Jack watched him push himself off of the wall and walk across the room, he paused for a moment before reaching down to give her shoulder a squeeze. She reached up and patted his hand, she waited until she heard his bedroom door close before she got up. She folded the blanket she was using and made sure the front door was locked and made her way up to her room. She knew the minute her head hit the pillow that she wouldn’t be sleeping that night.

N*C*I*S  
She was in her office playing video games with Elena when she heard the knock on her door, she knew before he even stepped into the room what Gibbs was there to say.

“Elena honey, let’s turn this off for a few minutes.” Jack suggested gently, “Gibbs and I need to talk to you.” 

“Something happened.” Elena stated slowly, “something with my father.”

“Yeah.” Gibbs replied.

Jack wanted to hit him and tell him to just get on with it, she knew just about as much as Elena at that point and felt the anxiety in the pit of her stomach weighing down on her.

“They’ve decided that you and your father are going to be put into witness protection.” Gibbs stated, “do you know what that is?”

Jack didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, she was shocked, overwhelmed and relieved all at the same time. She was shocked that Rico was going to be allowed to stay in the States, relieved that Elena was going to be able to have a normal and relatively safe life and overwhelmed by the sadness she felt at the thought of losing Elena.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur, they spent most of it explaining exactly what was going to happen to Elena and packing her belongings. By the time they returned to the Navy Yard to meet with the social worker and Vance, Jack felt ready to drop to the ground in utter exhaustion. She had had next to no time to herself or any time to talk to Gibbs about what was going on but she could tell he was having just as hard of a time as she was. She could tell Elena was torn between being excited to be with her father and scared of the unknown. 

Watching Gibbs crouch down to give Elena a hug goodbye nearly broke her heart, she heard him whisper something in her ear and slip something in her hand but couldn’t hear or see what it was. She stepped forward once Gibbs released his hold on the ten year old and crouched down in front of her.

“I am so proud of you.” She whispered, “you have been so brave and strong, and I am just so proud of you.”

She wanted to say so much more to the child but couldn’t put it into words, she pulled the girl into her arms and held on tightly.

“You’re going to do so well in school.” She added quietly, “you be good for your dad and make sure to keep on drawing.”

“I promise.” Elena whispered back, “take care of Gibbs.” She added, pulling back with a small smile on her face, “he needs someone.”

Out of the mouths of babes, Jack thought to herself, she gave Elena’s shoulders a gentle squeeze before standing up. She glanced over at Gibbs who only nodded and waited for her to join him.

“She’s in good hands.” The social worker promised, “I’ll call your Director and let him know as soon as we hand her over to WitSec and her father.” 

Jack nodded and offered Elena a reassuring smile, she had to bite her lip and close her eyes to stop the tears from coming as the social worker led Elena away. As soon as the pair was out of sight Jack took in a deep breath and wiped her eyes before the tears could fall, she felt Gibbs reach out for her but she quickly turned away.

“I just-“ She started with a sigh, “I need a minute.” 

“Why don’t you both take tomorrow off.” Leon suggested, “you’re team has been through hell in the last few days, everyone needs a break.”

“I don’t need a break.” Jack snapped.

She saw Gibbs turn in mild surprise but Leon simply raised his eyebrows at her and waited until she had taken a deep breath and a moment to control herself.

“I don’t need a break.” She restated in a calmer voice, “I need to keep busy.”

“Be that as it may you know better than anyone else what’ll happen if you all run yourselves to the ground, take a minute to process everything, if not for yourselves do it for Ellie, Torres and McGee, they need a break.” 

“We’ll take the time off.” Gibbs stated, giving Jack a mild glare.

She knew he was right and that she was being unreasonable, everyone was on edge and no one truly wanted to be at work while they worked through their grief at losing not one but two coworkers and now she and Gibbs both needed to find a way to deal with losing another person, another little girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we’re back y’all! I know this wasn’t what anyone expected from this story but I promise there is a reason! I hope you guys enjoyed this and I just wanted to make note, for anyone asking for a sequel to The Night Before Christmas I probably will not be doing a complete sequel however if you guys would like to either PM or leave comments of what you’d like to see I’d be more than happy to do a few one-shots over on my one-shot collection Semper Fidelis! Please remember I don’t own anything but I’d love to hear from you!
> 
> ~Katie


	8. Chapter Eight

Eight

Jack shut her front door and locked it before leaning against it. She would need to go to Gibbs’ house to pick up everything she had left there but she needed a bit of time to collect her thoughts and control her emotions before she did that. She knew that this wasn’t his fault, he had warned her against getting attached but it had been impossible not to. He hadn’t taken his own advice and he was probably hurting just as much as she was, she knew she should go over there but she couldn’t find it in herself to be supportive.

She pushed herself off of the door and made her way into the kitchen, she grabbed a beer out of the fridge and wandered into her living room. She sat down on the couch with her legs tucked under her and grabbed a magazine off of the coffee table. It took her almost ten minutes to realize that she had been staring at the same page, she sighed and closed the magazine. 

She stood up to grab a different book but changed direction, a book wasn’t going to cut it, she needed to work out her frustration a different way. She made her way up the stairs to the second floor of her house and veered into her bedroom to change into workout clothes, once that was done she crossed the hall and entered the small guest room she had turned into an office. She pulled out her phone and put on her workout playlist and pulled on her gloves before turning to the punching bag in the corner of the room. She bowed her head for a moment, said a quick prayer like she always did before a workout and then let the music take over her mind as she took all of her pent up emotions out on the bag. She was so distracted that she didn’t hear the front door open.

N*C*I*S

Gibbs knocked on the door again, he knew she was home, her car was in the driveway and he could hear the faint sound of music from inside the small house. He tried the door and found it locked, he debated for a minute before pulling out his emergency key. He wouldn’t stay, he just wanted to make sure she was okay and then he would leave. The moment the door opened he could hear the music much louder, it reminded him of something Abby would listen to except there were actual words instead of just a loud beat. He wandered around the lower level, it was open concept with the kitchen, a small dining area and a living room, the entire thing was painted a neutral grey. The kitchen had white cabinetry with newer stainless steel appliances, most of the furniture was white and modern but he could see a few handmade pieces scattered around the room that matched the cabinet from her office. The living room had a small but modern gas fireplace and the couch had several blue throw pillows and a cozy blanket thrown over it. There were pictures and art pieces scattered around the room, most of the art reflected something either beach or California related and the pictures seemed to be of friends and family he didn’t recognize. Seeing that she wasn’t downstairs he followed the sound of the music and made his way upstairs, he could hear a dull thumping sound intermixed with the music. He found the source of both the music and the thumping as he reached the top of the stairs. Jack was in what looked like her office, her back to him, repeatedly hitting the punching bag she had set up in the corner.

He wasn’t sure how to announce his presence without freaking her out so he cleared his throat twice, when that didn’t work he knocked loudly on the door. Judging by the way she flew around with a loud gasp he hadn’t succeeded in not scaring her, he held up his hands to show that he wasn’t a threat and honestly felt bad as she placed her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

“What the hell, Gibbs?” She exclaimed, “How did you even get in? I’m pretty sure I locked the door.”

He held up his keys, “Wanted to make sure you were okay, you were upset when you left.” 

“I’m fine, just working out.” She replied, “I haven’t had the chance to workout in awhile.”

“You got attached.” He stated, ignoring her excuse.

“So did you.” She stated, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Yeah.” He replied, pursing his lips and nodding, “yeah, I did.” 

“I thought you’d be in your basement right about now.” She shifted, and pulled her sweatshirt tighter around her shoulders. “You know, the Three B’s.” 

“That’s next.” 

“I’m fine, go a head and work on your boat.” 

“You’re dismissing me, Jack.” He stated with a small sigh.

“You know me so well, Gibbs.” She replied sarcastically, “I just want to be alone right now, I don’t want to think about it and I don’t want to talk about it.” 

“Alright.” He shrugged.

“I’ll stop by sometime tonight to pick up my stuff if that’s okay.”

“Wanna come for supper?” 

“I figured you’d be tired of me by now.” Jack replied, raising her eyebrow.

“Not even gonna go there.” 

He knew she was still upset, he could see it by the way she was holding herself and he understood it. He was upset too, he was glad that Elena was going to be with her father and he knew that realistically there was no way they could have kept her but he didn’t think that WitSec was the best place for a child. He understood why she was upset but he wasn’t going to pick a fight with her, not when they were both hurting and emotional. 

“I’m not tired of you, or I wouldn’t’ve asked.” He stated after a minute, “if you wanna come, come I’ll have dinner ready for 1830.” 

He turned around before she could respond.

“Nice place by the way!” He called over his shoulder as he hit the last step.

He had never been to Jack’s house, they had always gone to his place to have dinner or do their poker nights or even just to relax. The house reflected her, practical in it’s size, big enough for her but not so big that she had a lot of cleaning to do, modern but littered with silly photos or classic hand made furniture. It was the perfect mix of seriousness and whimsy that he loved, liked he mentally corrected himself, about Jack, she could do her job well but she always added a little bit of fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter but I needed to get this out of the way before we could get to the next part, “Date with Destiny”, I debated including “Fallout” in this but I really want to get to the fun/not so fun stuff, especially Vance’s capture. I haven’t written it yet so if you guys really want “Fallout” included let me know and I’ll do my best! I love to hear from you guys! Also for all of my Slibbs lovers who may not have found them yet for some more awesome Slibbs content check out NerdyJibbsOreo, JamJar98 and BourbonScars!
> 
> ~Katie


	9. Chapter Nine

Nine

They were hiding something from him. He knew something was wrong, his team was acting weird, McGee was avoiding him, Jack had shown up late and looked like hell and Leon looked like the world as they knew it was ending. He stepped off the elevator into Kasie’s lab, he could see her running faces through facial recognition and watching a video on the big screen but he couldn’t make out what the video was.

“What do we got?” 

“Oh, Gibbs!” She exclaimed, quickly clicking her keyboard to shut off the tv screen.

“Give us any leads?” He asked, moving around to her table to nod at the soaped up mirror.

“Um… Actually yes, uh I was able to pull a partial print off the mirror from the second b in bomb.”

“That give us an ID?”

“Uh, well, uh, no.” She replied crossing her arms, “but then again it’s only a partial, so I’m running it through touch DNA to see if we can get a match there.”

“What was that?” He asked, pointing to her blank TV screen.

“That’s… A… A TV.”

“What about that?” He asked, clicking the keyboard to show the video.

“That’s uh, that’s… Nothing.”

“That, sure looks like something.”

“It’s not! I mean it’s not something I can tell you about, or tell anyone about really,… Except McGee but he already knows…” 

Her computer beeped and she looked relieved to be saved from his questioning gaze.

“I suppose that’s a nobody?” He asked, gesturing to her facial recognition screen. 

“Please… Please don’t tell Director Vance, you saw that.” Kasie begged.

“Well you need to tell him that you saw it.”

“I’m usually so good-“

“Kasie, you need to tell him now.” He stated before leaving the room.

He needed to think, he needed a minute to process what he had just witnessed. He had known Jack had gone on a date the night before, he had heard it through the grapevine but when he had casually asked about it she had hedged before changing the subject completely. He had let it rest, her date had been with a friend of McGee and Delilah so he hadn’t been worried for her safety. He wasn’t exactly happy that she was on a date but he refused to acknowledge that what he was feeling was jealousy, he had pushed it aside, as long as she was happy he was happy.

He went outside to the coffee cart and grabbed a cup of his favourite brew, hoping the caffeine mixed with the spring air would help him to focus. After five minutes of walking around he knew it was pointless, he wouldn’t feel better until he knew that Jack was okay. He tossed his still half full cup and made his way up to her office.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting to find when he entered the room but Jack aggressively painting the orange walls was a surprise. He hesitated for a moment, completely unsure how to proceed in this unfamiliar situation but she solved the problem for him.

“Gibbs!” She exclaimed, “can’t you see I’m pulling myself together here?”

“By painting your office?” He asked, leaning against the doorframe.

“It’s either paint it or punch a hole in it.” She reasoned, “If Vance is gonna bench me, I’ve got to do something.”

He shut the door slowly and stepped further into the office, he seriously doubted that Jack wanted any random passersby to see her in this state, he wasn’t even sure she would be thrilled he had seen her when whatever this was wore off. 

“What’s going on, Jack?”

She sighed and let the brush run down the wall, clearly exhausted. 

“Let me help.” He offered.

She dropped the brush to the floor and looked up at him slowly. Seeing her so clearly losing it startled him, she was normally the calm voice of reason on their team, she was the one to talk him down, to calm him down when he was second guessing himself or losing it. He didn’t know how to respond now that the roles had been reversed, he wasn’t a doctor, he didn’t have the training she did to deal with this kind of situation. He also knew that if he didn’t help her, there was no one else that could, so he silently took a breath and drew on his years of experience working with people.

“Okay.” She sighed, “Why not? We’re both adults here.”

He tilted his head to the side when she began to unbutton her black blouse, he didn’t know where this was leading but he let her continue. He would stop her if she did something they would both come to regret but for the moment he let her proceed.

“Help me with this.” She asked quietly as she turned around and pulled her shirt down.

It took him a moment to zero in on the raised scars on her back. It had been a long time since he had felt such an overwhelming surge of anger. Anger at whoever had hurt her that way, anger at whoever had driven her to the place she was now in. He took in a deep breath and stepped forward slowly, so as not to spook her. He didn’t touch her back, instead he gently ran his hands from her shoulders down to her elbows and gently pulled her shirt back up.

“Tell me what you need.” He ordered gently.

If she wanted to talk he would listen, if she needed a punching bag he would gladly stand still and let her take her anger out on him, he would do whatever it took to help her. 

“I need to talk.” She whispered, hanging her head.

“Okay.” He replied quietly, “then let’s talk.”  
He gently guided her over to the couch and waited for her to settle before sitting down on the coffee table, his legs spread and his hands folded between them.

“Nine months our squadron was held.” She started, “the mighty Wingos… Every few days, Masahun would find a new game to play with us. He wanted intel, but after a few weeks he realized we had nothing. After that the abuse was just for fun.”

“This guys voice, that what gave him away?” He asked, his inner investigator coming out.

“It-it was him.” She said firmly “if only I’d kept my cool and followed him out, I could’ve taken him down quietly in some dark alley somewhere. It would’ve been so much more satisfying.” 

“Not worth it.” He replied, pursing his lips and shaking his head.

“Oh, you think?” She asked sarcastically, “Okay. Try this one on. It was towards the end when Masahun found a new game. The lone female, he figured I’d be the weakest. So he’d force me to choose.”

“Made you choose what?” He asked quietly.

“Who died next.” She replied her voice wavering, “Anshiri, Hale. They kept telling me that it was okay, just to pick one of them and get it over with.”

He could tell by the tormented look on her face that she was reliving every horrifying minute of her experience as she told him about it. He wanted nothing more than to reach out to her, to comfort her in the only way he knew how but he didn’t want to startle her or make her think he was taking advantage of her situation, so he sat and listened in silence as she continued.

“That it was okay… But nothing will ever be okay, they’re all dead.” She said, her voice cracking.

“How soon after that did Vance…. Show up?”

“Uh…” She started, pausing to wipe her eyes, “days later, Masahun slipped out and Leon made the others pay. I’ve, uh… I’ve owed him ever since.” 

“Explains a lot.” He replied with a small nod.

“Besides Vance, you’re now the only person who knows.”

“Dies with me.” He promised.

“Along with Masahun. Once he’s dead, I’ll feel a whole lot better.”

He knew he had a choice to make. He could agree with her and let her learn the hard way that she would never feel better, by doing that he could keep his past in the past and private the way he always had; or he could share his story, let her learn through him and save her the years of heartache and torment he had gone through. One choice was easier for him personally, and he had only known the woman for less than a year, he owed her nothing, even so he knew in that moment, seeing her teary hazel eyes that he would do anything for her. He would do anything to see her happy and safe.

“I doubt that.” He muttered.

“What are you talking about?” She began angrily.

“My- my wife’s birthday was yesterday.”

He knew she knew about Shannon and Kelly, she knew about the accident but she didn’t know anything about what happened afterwards.

“Shannon… She and my daughter Kelly… They were, uh, killed together. And the man who did that, I hunted him down and I shot him in the head. And I… really thought that would ease the ache in my heart.” He shook his head sadly, “Nope… Not to this day. And you’re the only one I’ve told.” 

He knew Abby and Leon both knew what he had done without a doubt, he knew Jenny and Ducky and probably the rest of his team at least suspected but he had never confirmed it. He had never told anyone exactly what lengths he had gone to to avenge the deaths of his girls. He had never trusted anyone enough with the secret that would no doubt cost him everything if it ever got out. Not his team, not his ex-wives, not his best friends, no one. No one until Jack Sloane, the woman who had blown into his life much like a hurricane, who had butted heads with him at every turn in the beginning, the woman who had tricked him and lied her way into his home. The woman who gave him peace when he felt like his world was flipping upside down, the woman who could calm him with a simple glance, the woman who truly was a storm, violent in her approach but beautiful in her own way. 

He saw her nod and knew without words being exchanged that his secret was safe in her hands, he knew that if the need arose she would die protecting it and that thought made him reach out and rest a hand over her folded ones. 

“It doesn’t ease the ache, Jack.” He whispered, “but havin’ people, people to talk to even if they don’t really understand helps, you’ve got a family here who’re ready to help.” 

She looked up at him with watery eyes and shook her head slowly.

“You should walk away, Gibbs.” She whispered, “trust me, you don’t want to deal with this.”

“Nah.” He replied, shaking his head with a small grin, “I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I did this chapter and the next few chapters through Gibbs’ perspective because I think the show did an excellent job showing exactly what Jack was experiencing and feeling through out “Date with Destiny”… Any recognizable lines come directly from the epidsode and I take no credit for them! I own nothing sadly! I love to hear from all of you, thank you so much for all of your reviews! And once again for all of my Slibbs lovers who may not have found them yet for some more awesome Slibbs content check out NerdyJibbsOreo, JamJar98 and BourbonScars!
> 
> ~Katie


	10. Chapter Ten

Ten

The trip to the airfield had been one of the longest car rides of his life, he had been terrified that Jack was going to ignore his advice and do something she would seriously regret. He had felt an overwhelming surge of relief when they had found her, unharmed and without blood on her hands. She had been livid that Masahun had gotten away and as upset as he had been about it he had also been relieved that Jack hadn’t done anything stupid. 

He had watched her storm off, his promise that they would get Hakim echoing through the air, with unease and a sense of dread growing in his gut. He knew there was nothing Jack could do that night but something was off. He waited for her to pull out before getting into his own car and following her. She went directly home and he pulled into her driveway a minute after her, he watched her storm into her house and followed after her at a fast walk. He took it as a good sign when she didn’t lock the door in his face and let himself in. 

“Leave me alone.” She warned angrily.

“No.” He replied stubbornly, “Told you, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Leave. Me. Alone.” She repeated.

He closed the door behind him and locked it, he knew it wasn’t his smartest move and the way she flew at him was enough to confirm it. He wrapped his arms around her as she pounded her fists against his chest. He couldn’t deny that it hurt but he didn’t let her go as she started to sob, her punches slowing down until she was clutching his shirt and sobbing into his shoulder. He ran his hands up and down her back, careful not to put too much pressure on her scars lest he hurt her more.

“It’s okay.” He whispered.

He knew he was lying, it wasn’t okay, but he doubted the truth would make her feel any better in that moment so he went with the reassuring lie instead. 

“No, no it’s not.” She sobbed.

“Yeah, it’s not.” He conceded quietly, “I know it’s not.” 

He continued running his hand up and down her back as her sobs subsided until she was just crying quietly. He could still hear her sniffling and he could feel the damp spot on his shirt from her tears, he pulled a clean handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it over to her. He let her blow her nose and wipe her eyes before leading her over to the couch. He sat down and pulled her down beside him and wrapped his arm around her shoulders before gently pulling her against his side. 

“It’s gonna get better, Jack.” He promised quietly, “never gonna be easy but it’s gonna get better.” 

He felt her rest her head against his chest and gently ran his hand over her hair. He knew there was nothing he could do to fix the situation but he wanted, he needed, to do everything in his power to make it as easy on her as possible. 

“You should have just walked away.” Her whisper broke the silence.

He knew she was trying to protect him, to protect herself. He had done it enough, had pushed enough people away to know exactly what she was doing. There were only a few people in his life who had pushed, who had forced him to speak and as much as he had resented them at the time he was so grateful now that they had forced him to face his feelings. Some of those people had literally saved his life when he had been in his darkest moments. He knew Jack was living through one of the worst moments in her life at that moment, he wouldn’t leave her to face her demons alone.

“I’m not going anywhere.” He stated quietly but firmly, “gonna be right here with you.” 

She placed her hand on his chest and pushed herself back so she was looking up at him, she seemed to study him for a moment before nodding slightly. She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. He raised his free hand and let it rest the side of her neck, his thumb stroking her cheek and jaw absentmindedly. He could see the silent debate waging in her hazel eyes before she leaned forward again and gently pressed her lips to his.

The kiss shocked him, it took him a minute to realize what was happening but he didn’t push her away. He knew if he pushed her away it would irreversibly damage their friendship, she would go back into her shell and shut him out, they were too similar. He gently pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. 

“Jack…” He whispered.

“I know…” She replied quietly, “You have rules.”

“No.” He quickly cut her off.

His rules had never applied to her, and besides he wasn’t so sure that rule 12 was a good thing anymore. He had implemented it for a reason but in recent years he had seen it do more harm than good.

“Not about rules.” He stated, “just don’t want you doing something you’re going to regret in the morning, maybe when you’ve had some sleep and your mind is clearer.”

She nodded and he knew that even through her distress she understood that he wasn’t saying no to the possibility of something more than friendship, he was simply looking out for her. 

“Don’t know how much sleep I’ll be getting tonight.” She stated, leaning her head back against his shoulder. 

He tightened his arms around her in understanding, the nightmares would no doubt be overwhelming after spending the last twenty-four hours reliving the worst experience of her life.

“Tell me what you need.” 

He wanted to offer to stay but he didn’t want her to feel pressured, he understood that sometimes you needed to be alone.

“Stay?” She asked after a few moments of silence, “I don’t want to wake up alone… Not after today…”

“Okay.” He replied, silently relieved. “Whatever you want.” 

“Right now what I want is to take a shower and go to bed.” 

He relaxed his arm and let her lean forward before she stood up, he watched her stretch and pull her hair back in a messy bun.

“I’m just going to…”

“Go ahead.” He replied with a small smile, “I’m going to grab my go bag out of my car.”   
By the time he got back he could hear the water running in the shower upstairs and the faint sound of music. He dropped his go-bag on the couch and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a well worn NIS t-shirt. He changed in the small downstairs bathroom and then made his way into the kitchen, he grabbed a bottle of water before settling on the couch. He heard the water shut off upstairs and could hear Jack moving around as she got ready for bed. He pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and was about to make himself a makeshift bed on the couch when Jack reappeared in baggy plaid PJ bottoms, a grey t-shirt and a loose cardigan.

“Do you have an extra pillow anywhere?” He asked, “don’t wanna mess up your throw pillows.” 

“I’m amazed you know the correct term for them, Cowboy.” She teased with a raised eyebrow.

“Married four times, you pick up a thing or two.” He replied with a half shrug, “Also learned that you’re not supposed to sleep on them, messes up the shape or something.”

“You… You don’t have to sleep on the couch.” She offered hesitantly, “I mean if you’re uncomfortable of course you can sleep on the couch.” She added quickly.

“If you want me to sleep upstairs I can do that.” He replied.

He had thought about it but had avoided suggesting it lest she take it the wrong way. He didn’t want her to think that he was sending mixed signals about what he wanted. He knew that if she wanted something different from their relationship once she had a clear mind he wouldn’t say no but he wasn’t crossing that line with her current frame of mind. He watched her shuffle for a minute before she nodded.

“Please.” 

He nodded and folded the blanket back over the back of the couch, he grabbed his bottle of water and followed her up to her room. His visit the week before had been his first time in her house but he hadn’t seen her bedroom during that visit. The room was painted a pale blue with white furniture, the bed was on the far left wall and the bedspread was also white with white bedside tables on either side of the bed. There were sea-foam, navy blue and light pink accents scattered around the room. The bed had sea-foam throw pillows on it and a blanket in the same colour draped over the end, there was a navy armchair in the far right corner with a pile of folded laundry on it and random little knickknacks spread around the room. There was a white dresser on the right wall next to the closet, there was also a door on the left hand side of the room and he guessed that it led to the master bathroom.   
He watched Jack circle around to the right side of the bed, she pulled the decorative pillows off and pilled them on the arm chair before pulling back the covers. 

“I normally sleep on this side, I can go to the other side if you want.” She offered, pausing in her efforts.

“No.” He replied, shaking his head, “I like the left side.”

It didn’t really have to do with left or right but rather the fact that he liked to be closest to the door. He felt better knowing that even though there was a minimal chance of anything happening, and that Jack was perfectly capable of defending herself should something happen, he would be able to put himself between Jack and any threat. He walked to the left side and helped her pull down the covers, trying to ignore how oddly domestic it felt, he waited for her to climb in and lay down before he did the same. She waited until he was settled before reaching up to turn off the lamp on her side of the bed.

The awkwardness in the air was an unfamiliar feeling. As much as they had butted heads in the beginning there had always been a level of comfort and familiarity between them, even when they had spent time alone but this was a whole new ballpark. He felt her shift beside him so she was on her side facing him. 

“Gibbs.” She whispered.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for staying.” 

He turned on his side and placed his hand over hers where it was resting on the bed between them, he could see her smile softly from the faint light coming through the window. He ran his thumb back and forth over her hand and watched her eyes close slowly as she relaxed, he wasn’t sure if she would be able to fall asleep quickly but soon her breathing evened out, the exhaustion of the day no doubt overpowering her fear of nightmares. It took him awhile to relax enough but he soon joined her in sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THEY KISSED! I honestly didn’t have that in mind when I started this chapter but they kind of just did their own thing and I was like ‘oh, well’… I hope everyone enjoyed this, we get into the rest of the shit show that was the summer of 2018 for NCIS in the next chapter… I kind of did my own take on it because I noticed a few timeline inconsistencies in the show (not to mention we got no details on what happened in between) and I needed to rejig it to fit my story but it stays true to character and mostly to what we learned when we returned in September… Remember I own nothing but I love to hear from you guys! Shout out to Isles15 who is my cheerleader, you’re awesome Isla! Also everyone pretty please go and check out FromStonetoHallow’s (NerdyJibbsOreo) newest GIF on Tumblr it is Slibbs perfection!   
> ~Katie


	11. Chapter Eleven

Eleven

As it turned out nightmares wouldn’t be an issue that evening, Gibbs was woken out of a light sleep by the sound of Jack’s phone ringing on her bedside table. He felt Jack shift against his chest where she had curled into a ball, one hand gripping the fabric of his shirt her head forehead resting against his chest. She rolled over with a small groan and blindly reached around for her phone. She squinted at the bright display and slid her finger across the screen before putting her phone to her ear.

“Hi, Baby.” She muttered, clearing her throat. “What’s going on? Why are you still up?” She asked, her voice more clear. “No… No he’s not with me.”

Gibbs pushed himself up on his arm to look down at her, she gestured to his eyes to warn him before she sat up and flicked on the lamp.

“No, he’s not with Gibbs either, no, we’re… Watching a movie.” She said looking at Gibbs with a small shrug, “Okay well don’t panic, I’ll give Grace and Tobias a call and see if he’s with them and then I’ll give you a call back okay.” Her voice was calm but her eyes were panicked as she looked over at Gibbs, “Just do me a favour and go make sure the door is locked okay? Yeah everything is fine, Babe, where’s Jared? Okay I’ll call you back in a minute.” She listened for another minute before nodding, “Okay, I love you.” 

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at her as she looked over at him.

“That was Kayla, Leon never came home.” She said, her voice shaking, “You don’t think…”

“Don’t go there.” He ordered, “Like you said, don’t panic he could be with Grace or Fornell, you call Grace and I’ll call Tobias.” 

He grabbed his cell phone off of the bedside table and dialled Fornell’s number, he could tell by the look on Jack’s face that she was having just about as much luck as he was. He hung up the phone with a sigh and looked over at her as she did the same.

“He’s not with Grace, did you have any luck with Tobias?”

“Nope.” He replied, running his hand over his face, “Has anyone tried his office?”

“Kayla called his office, his assistant and his cell phone.” Jack responded, “Grace offered to meet us at NCIS, lend a hand with whatever she can.” 

“Tobias said the same, I’m gonna call Bishop and have her come in to put a trace on Leon’s cell phone.” Gibbs stated, “We’ll pick up the kids and bring them in with us, just in case.” 

“Gibbs, do you think Hakim got him?” She asked quietly.

“I’m not goin’ there.” Gibbs replied firmly, “Not yet, right now we’re going to look for him, I’m calling Bishop right now.” 

“Why not McGee?” Jack asked.

“I’ll call McGee if we need him, right now I don’t want to panic anyone, Bishop can ping a phone just as good as McGee.” Gibbs replied, “Go change.” 

N*C*I*S

She nodded and swung her legs out of bed, her mind racing a million miles a minute. She listened to Gibbs explain the situation to Bishop as she grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater, she disappeared into the bathroom and when she came back out Gibbs was doing up the last button on his shirt and pulling on socks. 

“Ellie’s going to pick up the kids, her place is closer, she’ll meet us at the Yard, Grace and Tobias are on their way.” Gibbs stated, “I called Kayla and let her know what was goin’ on, told her to pack a bag just in case they need to spend the night at my place.” 

She nodded and grabbed her phone off of the side table, she followed Gibbs out of her room and downstairs, they quickly pulled their shoes on and made their way out to Gibbs’ sedan. 

The car ride to NCIS was silent, Jack was silently praying that Leon was okay, that it was all a misunderstanding. Judging by the concerned glances Gibbs was shooting her way he was just as worried as she was. 

N*C*I*S

Gibbs watched her perch on the edge of his desk her back turned to him as her eyes scanned the empty bullpen vacantly. She had been silent the entire ride to the Navy Yard and hadn’t said a word once they had exited the car. He could tell that she was worried about Vance, they all were, he watched her turn around and bite her thumb as her eyes landed on Elena’s drawing taped behind his desk.

“How many more kids?” She whispered, “How many more kids have to lose their parents?” She asked before turning back around.

He sighed and stood up. He made has way around the desk and stepped behind her when she stepped forward, he leaned against the desk and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Nobody is losing anyone.” He whispered, gently squeezing her shoulders.

She leaned back against him and raised her hand to rest over his on one of her shoulders.

“We don’t know anything yet, and we need to stay positive for the kids.” He added quietly.

“I know.” She muttered, tilting her head back and closing her eyes, “I know but I’ll feel better when they’re here and safe.” 

“Yeah.” He agreed quietly, “Me too.”

He had known Kayla and Jared for almost ten years, he had spent time with them occasionally while Jackie Vance was still alive but he had gotten closer to them after she had passed, when Leon had needed him more to get through the tragedy. He, much like Jack, needed to know they were safe before they could worry about Leon. He wouldn’t say it to Jack but he had a bad feeling that Hakim was involved in Leon’s sudden disappearance and he had no doubt that the man would hurt the kids if he thought it would make Leon cooperate with whatever he had in mind.

He ran his thumb over the nape of Jack’s neck, the scent of her lavender shampoo wafting up from her still damp hair, in an effort to relax her. He was just grateful that she was standing still, that she wasn’t pacing or worse yet painting in her agitation and worry. He rested his chin on her hand where it still rested on top of his. 

She stepped away from him when the elevator dinged, he had to take a deep breath as he adjusted to her absence and pushed himself off of the desk.

“What the hell is going on?” Tobias Fornell asked as he rounded the corner into the bullpen, followed closely by Doctor Grace Confalone.

“We haven’t heard from Leon since earlier this evening, we got a call from Kayla half an hour ago that he hadn’t come home yet.” Jack explained, “She’s been trying his cell every couple of minutes but so far no answer.” 

“Do you have any idea what happened?” Grace asked. 

“Oh yeah, I have a good idea.” Jack stated bitterly.

“Jack…” Gibbs warned, “We’re not going there, not yet.” 

He was already there, his gut was telling him that Jack was right but he refused to let her fly off the handle before they had solid proof.

“Where’s your team?” Fornell asked.

“Bishop is on her way now, she’s picking up Kayla and Jared and bringing them in.” Gibbs replied, “I’ll call McGee and Torres if we can’t find anything, we’re not panicking yet.”

“Okay well what can we do?” Grace asked.

“When they get here you can keep the kids busy.” Gibbs replied, “the less they know right now the better.” 

Gibbs watched out of the corner of his eye as Jack ran her hand through her hair and sighed, he could see her getting more agitated, could tell she was teetering on the edge of losing it again. He listened as Tobias and Grace debated different ideas of where Leon could be as Jack began to pace. He didn’t know how to help her, not without attracting more attention to her. He stepped in her path and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking down at her he raised an eyebrow.

“Tell me what you need.” He whispered.

“I need to do something.” She muttered her hands twitching, “I can’t just stand here.” 

“Okay.” He replied, “I get that, but right now we just gotta wait.” 

He heaved a sigh of relief as the elevator doors opened with a ding, he gave Jack’s shoulders a squeeze as she turned to it.

“Oh thank God.” She whispered.

He could see the change in her as soon as she saw Kayla and Jared step off of the elevator, clearly safe and untouched. It was like seeing a completely different person as she walked over to them and pulled them both into her arms. It was like seeing the old Jack, the Jack who had helped him care for Elena, the Jack who had shown up at his door ten months ago. He opened his arms as Kayla walked up to him and wrapped the eighteen year old in a hug.

“Something bad happened, Gibbs…” She whispered, quietly enough that only he heard her, “I can see it on Aunt Jack’s face.” 

“We don’t know anything yet, but we’re gonna find him.” He promised.

He pulled back and gave her a small nod, she gave him a sad smile in response, willingly accepting his promise. He clapped his hand on Jared’s shoulder, silently amazed at how much the sixteen year old had grown in the short time since he had last seen him. He could tell the boy was struggling to keep it together but he had plastered a brave smile on his face and nodded a greeting to Gibbs.

“Kayla why don’t you and Jared go with Grace up to the conference room, ” Gibbs suggested, “Your Aunt and I will come up in a minute okay?” 

“Gibbs I want to know what’s going on.” Kayla protested.

“And you will.” Jack replied, her tone more firm than Gibbs’ had been, “we’re going to let you know everything we know in a few minutes but right now we need a minute so go to the conference room with Grace and we’ll be up in less than ten minutes.” She promised, her voice softening, “I know you’re scared, and I know this is hard but I promise we’re doing everything in our power to find your dad, okay?”

“Alright.” Kayla replied with a small sigh, “just please, don’t take too long.”

“We won’t.” Gibbs promised.

He waited for the small group to disappear upstairs before turning to Bishop who was already working at her desk.

“Anything?” He asked, circling the desk to stand behind her.

“Not yet, give me a minute…. Got it!” She exclaimed, “His cell phone is pinging off a tower near the airfield where Nigel Hakim actually took off from.” 

“He didn’t know that the original flight plan was a diversion.” Jack stated, “and no one contacted him, there’s no way he knew about that Gibbs, now can you take me seriously?”

“I was never not taking you seriously, Jack, just didn’t wanna panic until we knew for sure.”

“Well can we panic now?” She asked incredulously.

“No.” He replied firmly, “No one is panicking, Bishop, call McGee and Torres have them meet you at the airfield see what you can find.” 

“Are you coming, Gibbs?” Ellie asked.

He looked over at Jack who was once again biting her thumb and pacing and then up to the conference room where the kids had disappeared to. He wanted to go with Ellie, wanted to do everything in his power to help find Leon but he knew that he was needed there more than out in the field. His agents were more than capable of handling things on their own but Jack and the kids all needed him.

“No, you guys can handle it, get Tobias set up on the computer, he can watch to make sure the phone doesn’t move until Kasie gets here.” 

If he got caught giving a civilian access to a government computer he was in deep trouble but at that point he didn’t have a whole lot of options, Jack was out of the question and he didn’t want his team shorthanded in the field, Nigel Hakim had proven exactly how dangerous he was and Gibbs doubted he was acting alone.

“Tobias call them if anything changes, Jack and I’ll be upstairs if you need anything.” 

He watched Bishop grab her gear and take off before he placed his hand on Jack’s back to lead her upstairs. He could see her pulling herself together again as they entered the conference room when Grace had set the kids up with snacks. 

“Did you find anything out?” Kayla asked as soon as they entered the room.

“We tracked his phone to an airfield, Gibbs’ team is checking it out now.” Jack replied, “we’ll know more in about half an hour.” 

“So we just have to keep waiting?” Jared asked.

“Unfortunately that’s all we can do right now.” Jack replied sympathetically.

“Do we have to stay here?” Kayla asked, gesturing around the room, “no offence but this orange gives me a headache.” 

“It gives everyone a headache.” Jack replied, rolling her eyes.

“You don’t have to stay here.” Gibbs started, “but until we know for sure what’s going on with your dad I want you two to stay at my place.”

“Just as an extra precaution.” Jack added.

“Are you going to be there, Aunt Jack?” Kayla asked, looking between Gibbs and Jack.

Gibbs shrugged and nodded when Jack glanced over at him, he was more than happy to have an extra set of hands with two teenagers in the house.

“I’ll be there.” Jack promised, “did you pack a bag before Ellie picked you up?” 

“Yeah, she told us to pack enough for today and tomorrow.” Jared replied.

“Okay, well Gibbs’ team is out doing their thing to find your dad so we may as well head on over to Gibbs’ place, sound good?” Jack asked, trying to keep her voice upbeat. 

Gibbs watched the kids nod and stand up, he glanced over at Jack who had a smile on her face but he could see the tenseness in her shoulders and the worry in her eyes. He held the door open and let the kids through first, he gave Jack’s shoulder a squeeze as she walked past and she gave him a sad smile and a small nod in response. 

The ride back to his house was silent, the only break was when they stopped for Jack to grab her go-bag from her house. He pulled into the driveway and was almost amazed that they had gone the entire fifteen minute job in complete silence, Jared was a relatively silent person but Jack and Kayla were normally talkers. The exhaustion and tension in the car was almost palpable.

He unlocked the front door and let everyone in before locking the door behind them, when he turned around he could see Kayla and Jared looking around, at a loss for how to proceed. Thinking back he couldn’t remember a time Kayla and Jared had actually spent an extended period of time in his house, he actually couldn’t remember them ever going further than the living room or maybe the kitchen. He had always gone to Leon’s house to spend time with them.

“So I have to go up and make the beds but you’ll both have your own rooms.” Gibbs stated, “food is in the kitchen, might have to do groceries tomorrow but whatever’s there is fair game, if you wanna have a shower or bath there’s a bathroom upstairs and down here.”

“Do you guys want to go right to bed or do you want to do something first?” Jack asked.

It was already past midnight but Gibbs seriously doubted anyone would be able to sleep anyway, he was willing to put on a movie, if they could find one on TV, if it would help the kids and Jack unwind a bit.

“I think I want to be alone for a bit.” Jared stated quietly.

“Of course, what about you Kayla?”

“I think if it’s okay I’d like to take a shower more than anything.” She replied, “I just got home from work when I called you, I didn’t have time to change or shower.” 

“I’ll get you some towels.” Gibbs offered, “I’ll make up your bed while you’re in the shower.” 

“I can make it if you show me where everything is.”

“I got it.” He replied, “you just go take a shower and relax a bit.” 

Jack watched Gibbs lead Kayla up the stairs, she turned to Jared and gave him a sad smile before reaching out to squeeze his forearm.

“We’re going to find him.” She promised quietly, “come on, I’ll show you up to the guest room.” 

She had spent many nights in Gibbs’ guest room but she always smiled when she walked in, she couldn’t help it really. It was relatively plain like every other room in the house but there were little personal touches added by his team over the years, there was a stack of classic movies that she suspected belonged to Tony DiNozzo, an agent she had heard a lot about but had never met. There were a few cozy looking blankets thrown on the bed that she suspected belonged to Ellie as well as an old laptop sitting on the desk that probably belonged to either Tim or Abby. There were a few framed photos of the team from over the years scattered around the room, it wasn’t anything big or fancy but it was their room none the less. 

“I think that drawer there is empty.” She stated, pointing to the top drawer of the dresser, “If you need anything let Gibbs or I know, we’ll be downstairs, your bed is already made up and the bathroom is just down the hall.”

She had made up the spare bed and changed the sheets before she had left the week before. She made sure Jared was alright before heading back downstairs. She wandered into the kitchen and grabbed herself a glass of water. She was just closing the fridge door when she heard Gibbs come into the kitchen, she turned around to find him leaning against the counter watching her.

“Hope you don’t mind.” She muttered holding up the water.

“Never minded before.” He pointed out, “make yourself at home, you know where everything is.”

“Yeah.” She nodded, “I noticed the fridge is almost empty again, you haven’t done groceries since I left?” 

“No reason to.” He shrugged, “I have what I need but I’ll do groceries in the morning.”

She peeked past him to make sure the kids weren’t around before turning back to him.

“How long?” She asked quietly.

“How long what?”

“How long do you think we’ll be doing this?” She gestured towards the top floor where they could hear the shower running.

“Until we find Leon or know that they’re not in danger.” He replied slowly.

“Leon has a sister who lives in Maine but she’s in Dubai for work.” Jack stated, “Jackie had a brother but I don’t think he’d be the best fit to take them.”

“I know him.” Gibbs replied, “don’t want them going anywhere for now, not until we know more.” 

“Come on Gibbs.” She said with a sigh, “I think we all know what happened, now it’s just a matter of what happens next.”

“What happens next is that we work until we find him.” He replied firmly.

He pushed himself off of the wall and walked towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders, he rubbed them up and down for a minute. 

“We are going to find him.” He repeated, “and when we do you can do whatever you need to and when we’re alone I don’t care if you scream, or cry or hit me but right now you gotta get it together Jack, you gotta keep it together for them.” 

He wasn’t reprimanding her, he wasn’t saying she was weak or telling her what she was feeling was wrong, he was simply making sure she understood that they needed to keep it together for the kids.

“Kids come first.” She agreed quietly, “I’ll get it together, I promise.” 

“Kay.” He whispered, “Kayla is taking a shower and Jared is in his room, what do you need right now?” 

“Right now I need to sit down and process everything before Kayla comes back downstairs with more questions than I have answers for.” She replied, “And I need to grab a sweater out of my bag, I’m freezing.”

“I’ll start a fire.” He said with a small chuckle.

N*C*I*S  
Jack rested her head against the arm of the couch and let the warmth from the fire wash over her, Kayla had just gone up to bed after spending an hour asking impossible to answer questions. She was laying on the couch, her head resting on the arm, Gibbs was on the other end of the couch with her feet tucked under his thigh.

“Well that was fun.” She muttered, throwing her arm over her eyes. 

“Yup.” Gibbs replied, letting his head loll back against the back of the couch, “you think she’ll actually sleep tonight?”

“It’s after three am, I doubt it.” Jack replied, “We’re going to need to figure out a security detail if she’s going to insist on going to school Monday.” 

“I’ll find some agents.” Gibbs replied.

Jack was in awe of the strength Kayla showed, she had insisted on returning to school Monday morning regardless of what happened. She insisted that her father wouldn’t want her to spend her life hiding, that life went on. She knew how Leon had raised his children, she admired his parenting but she wished that Kayla would take a bit more time to process everything.

She lifted her arm when Gibbs’ cell phone started to ring on the coffee table, she watched him answer it and felt her heart sink as she listened to his side of the conversation. She waited until he had hung up before sitting up on the couch. She watched him run his hand over his face before turning to face her, she dropped her head when he shook his head slightly.

“No witnesses but security tapes show them loading Leon onto the plane, we tracked down the flight plan but they changed it mid flight, we’re not sure where they are but we’re working on it.” He stated. 

“Oh my god.” She muttered.

She had known what had happened from the moment Kayla had called to tell her that Leon hadn’t come home but a small part of her had hoped that she was wrong. Hearing Gibbs say it out loud proved that she wasn’t wrong at all. 

She felt Gibbs hand fall to her knee and she looked over at him, she could see the sadness and worry in his eyes, she could see him fighting the urge to react in someway, she could see how strong he was trying to be for her.

“Go back in.” She said quietly, “not doing anything is killing you.” 

“I am doing something.” He replied, “the team knows what they’re doin’, you and the kids need me here.” 

N*C*I*S

Jack wasn’t wrong, not being out in the field and actively looking for Leon was killing him but he trusted his team, he knew they could handle it. Jack and the kids needed him at home and he would never forgive himself if something happened to Kayla or Jared, he needed to believe that Leon would come home and he wanted to make sure he had a family to come home to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins…. This is not at all where I thought this story was going to go when I started it close to a year ago, it took a lot of unexpected turns but I’m really enjoying it so far! I love to hear from all of you and I absolutely love how amazing this fandom is! Please remember that I don’t own anything! I also took some liberties with Kayla and Jared because we know very little about Kayla and absolutely nothing about Jared so I’m working with what I’ve got and building on it… I have to assume that with how close Jack and Leon are that she would also be close to his kids so I threw in the Aunt thing for fun just to add another dynamic to it..
> 
> ~Katie


	12. Chapter Twelve

Twelve

Jack ran the paint roller over the wall and watched as the Cheeto dust orange disappeared beneath the muted grey. She was upset that Gibbs had benched her for the day but she understood his reasoning, he had tried to make her stay home with the kids but she had insisted on going into the Navy Yard with him. Gibbs had hand picked two agents to stay at the house with the kids while they went into the Navy Yard and Jack had Kayla doing hourly check ins with her. McGee was down in the lab with Kasie tracking Nigel Hakim’s financials trying to figure out where his plane had finally landed, Nick was in the bullpen coordinating with other agencies and Ellie was sound asleep on Jack’s couch. Gibbs had disappeared to meet with Grace an hour earlier.

She added more paint to the roller and glanced over at Ellie, the young agent had ear buds in and was snoring softly. The team had been running non-stop for the last forty-eight hours and Jack had finally insisted on them taking turns for rest before they all burned out. Jack had her own music playing softly in the background and her laptop was open on her desk to a slideshow of pictures, she was trying to surround herself with happy things to keep her from losing her cool again. 

She knew Gibbs was exhausted and trying to hold it together for everyone, she knew he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and she wanted to at least take away a bit of stress for him. She painted in relative silence until there was a knock on her open door. She turned around and placed the roller down when she saw Nick leaning against the doorway.

“There’s an Agent from the DoD here to see Gibbs, is he back yet?” He asked, “is it okay if I leave her with you for now? I have to get back to a phone call.” He asked when Jack shook her head in the negative.

“No problem.” Jack replied with a shrug.

She waited a moment as Nick disappeared before a blonde woman in a black pants suit and white blouse entered the room.

“Hiya.” Jack greeted, “Special Agent Jack Sloane.” She said, wiping her hands off before holding one out.

“Hollis Mann, DoD.” The other woman replied, “I was looking for Special Agent Gibbs.”

“He’s just out for an appointment, he should be back in the next fifteen minutes or so.” Jack replied, “Please have a seat.” She offered, pulling the drop clothes off the two arm chairs, “sorry everything is such a mess but I started painting yesterday before everything happened and needed to get it done.” 

She watched the woman sit down and sat down beside her, she picked up the remote on the cloth covered coffee table and silenced the quiet music.

“I take it you’re here about Director Vance.” Jack stated. 

“DoD wants to do everything they can to help.” Hollis explained, “I was sent to offer any assistance I can.” 

“It’s greatly appreciated.” Jack replied, “this is our number one priority but we’ve been running a bit thin.” She added, nodding towards Ellie who was still sleeping soundly. 

Hollis nodded and smiled softly at Ellie, Jack saw her open her mouth to say something but it was cut off when there was another knock on the door. She smiled when she saw Grace standing there with two paper cups in her hand.

“Hey, how was your lunch date?” Jack asked.

“Surprisingly chatty.” Grace replied with a smirk, “Although I think he might be having a bit of separation anxiety.”

“The kids are at home, it’s stressing him out.” Jack replied, “he was the same way when we brought Elena home, he’ll be paranoid for a few days but it’ll wear off.” She added with a sigh.

She couldn’t blame him for worrying about the kids, she was feeling the exact same way.

“Grace this is Special Agent Hollis Mann, she’s with the DoD, Special Agent Mann, Doctor Grace Confalone.” 

“Nice to meet you.” Grace greeted, passing Jack a cup so she could shake the other woman’s hand.

“You as well.” Hollis replied.  
“That’s from Popeye, he wanted me to get it up to you before it got cold.” Grace added, nodding to the cup in Jack’s hand.

Jack nodded and took a sip fully expecting her usual sweet coffee, she was surprised instead when it was a mix of creamy chocolate and espresso that crossed her tongue. Grace laughed at the dreamy expression on her face.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it, I think he was in physical pain when he told Elaine what he wanted.” Grace stated with a laugh.

“It’s amazing, and just what I needed.” She replied with a grin, “you know me so well Gibbs, thank you.” She added when she felt his presence behind her.

“Welcome.” He replied, “Hollis.” He added, nodding to the woman.

“Jethro.” She replied, returning the nod, “it’s good to see you again, you look good.” 

“We’ll I’ll let all of you get back to work, is it okay if I swing by the house to check on the kids, Popeye?” Grace asked, hitching her bag onto her shoulder. 

“That’s fine.” He replied, “I’ll call the agents and let them know.” 

“Alright, it was nice meeting you Special Agent Mann.” 

Jack watched as Hollis nodded her goodbye before Grace left the room, she turned back to Gibbs and Hollis who were both watching each other carefully.

“Why’s Ellie sleeping?” He asked, nodding to his youngest agent.

“They’ve been going for forty-eight hours, they’re going to burn out if they don’t sleep.” Jack replied, “she’s only been asleep for an hour, give her another hour before you wake her up.”

N*C*I*S  
Hollis watched the interaction in front of her with a slightly raised eyebrow, she was waiting for Gibbs to snap at the other agent, to tell her not to order him around when it came to his team. He had never let anyone tell him what to do when it came to his agents. She watched Gibbs look back and forth between Agent Sloane and Bishop sound asleep on the couch. She held her breath as he stepped towards the couch and raised her eyebrow further when he reached into a box and pulled out a throw blanket, he laid it over Ellie and brushed a hand over her pulled back hair.

“Five more minutes.” Ellie muttered, rolling her cheek into Gibbs’ hand.

“Okay.” Gibbs whispered with a small smirk. 

N*C*I*S

Jack watched as Gibbs straightened out and turned back to Hollis who was watching him with a raised eyebrow and a questioning look. 

“What’re you doing here, Hollis?” He asked, never one to beat around the bush.

“Business and personal.” She replied, glancing over at Jack, “DoD wanted someone to come and offer you any assistance you may need.” 

“And you volunteered.” Gibbs deduced.

“I did.” Hollis replied with a nod, “Plus your reputation precedes you and volunteers to come work with you were few and far between.” 

Jack couldn’t help but chuckle when Gibbs nodded his expression almost proud, his reputation was well known all over DC.

“That’s business, what was personal?” He asked, studying her carefully, “she can stay.” He stated when he saw Hollis looking over at Jack. 

“I got a package from Abby a week ago.” Hollis stated pulling out a large manilla envelope.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, Abby had never liked Hollis and he had absolutely no idea why the scientist would send anything to the woman.

“Yeah I know, I thought the same thing.” Hollis stated when she saw the surprised look on Gibbs’ face, “but anyway I got this a week ago along with a letter.”

 

“What is it?” Gibbs asked.

“I have no idea, I didn’t open it.” Hollis replied, “in the letter Abby said that Tony found it in some of Ziva’s things two years ago but forgot about it until last month, there was a letter with it addressed to Ziva…” She handed him the package.

He looked down at the envelope and held it out in front of him, he couldn’t read the thin pencil marks on it. He nodded gratefully when Jack handed him her glasses and brought the envelope closer again. There was no address on it only one word, Gibbs. The handwriting was obviously Abby’s and it gave him no hint as to what was in the envelope.

“The letter basically said that she was to give this to you when she thought the time was right.” Hollis said quietly, “which obviously she never did, Abby said she debated sending it at all but decided that you deserved to see it.”

“Why you?” Gibbs asked without looking up.

“She knew I’d make sure it would get to you and that I wouldn’t look at it, she also said that judging by what the letter to Ziva said you’d probably burn it without looking at it.” Hollis replied, “She also knew that I wouldn’t push you about it.”

That piqued his curiosity, he opened the envelope and looked inside, there were two other envelopes, one clearly full of photos and the other a simple white envelope. He pulled out the thin envelope and looked at the writing on the front, again no address just a name. Jethro, it had been years since he had seen that handwriting be he recognized it in a heartbeat. He put the white envelope back and looked up at Hollis shaking his head.

“No.” He stated, putting the envelope down on Jack’s desk. 

He felt her eyes on him as he placed the envelope down but refused to acknowledge her presence as a million thoughts raced through his mind.

“Not doing this now.” He repeated. 

“Just read this.” Hollis said, pulling out another small envelope, “this was the letter to Ziva, it’ll explain it better than I did.” 

He grabbed the envelope from her hand and turned on his heel, leaving the manilla envelope on Jack’s desk and both women behind him. He needed space, he needed to clear his head but he had no where to go. His house was full, Leon’s office was filled with too many ghosts, Kasie was in the lab, Ducky would want to know what was going on if he went to autopsy and he didn’t want to go outside and be surrounded by people. He veered through a few different hallways, with no destination in mind, eventually he found himself standing in front of the wall of fallen agents. 

His eyes wandered over the agents, the friends and family he had lost. They finally locked on the fiery green eyes he had fallen in love with almost twenty years ago, the corners of her mouth turned up in a barely there smile. It had been ten years to the day since she had been killed, it had been in the back of his mind since the day before but it had been pushed away by the events unfolding around him. The month of May was always brutal for him and his team, Shannon’s birthday for him, Kate’s death, Jenny’s death and Ziva’s death all landed within days of each other. He knew Abby had gone to Paris to spend the last week of May with Tony and he was willing to bet that was the reason for the letter in his hand. 

He unclenched his fist and straightened out the envelope he had subconsciously squished, Ziva’s name was neatly printed on the envelope and from the lack of address on it he knew it had been hand delivered. He pulled out a slightly crumpled and obviously frequently looked at piece of paper. He took a deep breath as he looked down at the flowing handwriting covering the page, small watermarks here and there from where the reader or writer had been crying. 

Dear Ziva,

I know you have honoured my request to only open this in the event of my death which means that if you are reading this I am gone. If I am gone it is likely Leon Vance is sitting in my chair and I can only hope that you are still on Gibbs’ team.

I have known you since you were eighteen years old, I have watched you grow into an amazing young woman and an even better agent. I watched how you loved and lost Tali, I held your hand through the funeral and wiped your tears after, I saw everything your father put you through and I saw how strong you were through it all. I am so proud of you. That all being said I want you to remember that your family is not just those related to you by blood, I was thirty four when I met you and you were both my best friend and like a daughter to me. When I brought you back to the States with me I said that it was because I wanted to let you learn to be an agent, that was true but I also wanted you to know and see what being a part of a real family is like.   
I watched you grow from a loner into a team player who would do anything for her team and her family and I’m not sure that I ever told you how proud of you I was for that. I want you to know how important you are both to me and to the team, he will probably never tell you but I can see how much Gibbs loves you. With that in mind I want you to know that you are a part of a family now and that family will stand by you no matter what, no matter how many mistakes you have made, no matter what you do Gibbs will be there for you because that is what a father does for his child. 

I tell you all of this because I know that you have a hard time letting people in, that you have a hard time asking for help and I want you to know that it is okay to ask for help, Rule 28. I also tell you this because I know you didn’t have the easiest childhood and I see how much you’ve grown from that. Just know at the end of the day you are so loved, you are cherished by the family around you. 

I know you know a bit about some of the choices that I made in my life and I hope that you learn from them. Let the people around you help you and love you, don’t run like I did because you will never find a better family than the one you have here. Don’t shut people out because you’re afraid to open your heart. Let them love you Ziva David because you deserve to be loved more than anyone I know. 

I know I have no right to ask you favours but I do need one thing from you, there is another envelope with Jethro’s name on it, please give it to him when you feel the time is right, I know you will understand what I mean by this and I trust you with this. 

Thank you for being my friend, for saving my life and for being a part of my family.

With Love, 

~ Jenny Shepard 

By the time he was through reading he had to take of Jack’s glasses so he could blink away the tears clouding his eyes. He had known how close Ziva and Jenny had been, he had seen it in the way the had acted around each other but he hadn’t realized just how much Jenny had loved the young woman, how much she had appreciated Gibbs accepting her into his family. 

He glanced back up to the case in front of him, there was a picture missing in that case and it always made him sad to think that Ziva would never have the spot she had earned on that wall. He wasn’t surprised when he felt a hand come to rest between his shoulder blades, he had sense her presence a minute earlier, could imagine the debate she’d had with herself about approaching him.

“Hey.” She whispered, stepping up beside him, “What do you need?” 

He was glad that she didn’t ask what was in the envelope, was grateful that she didn’t push but rather just asked him what he needed from her in that moment.

“To get back to work.” He replied, swallowing around the lump in his throat.

“Alright.” Jack replied, “Ellie woke up five minutes ago, she and Special Agent Mann are coordinating with NSA, they think they have a lead on the plane. Nick is going to finish what he’s doing then he’s going to take a quick break.” 

“Gonna put in a few more hours and head home to check on the kids.” He stated, “unless we come up with something useful, team is gonna need a break too.” 

“As much as I want to say work until we find him I don’t know how much longer we can keep going.” Jack replied, “it’s been a really long forty-eight hours.”

“Yeah it has.” Gibbs agreed.

And judging by the letter in his hands and the one sitting on Jack’s desk it was about to get longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I seriously debated making Jenny a part of this story… I went back and forth on this chapter for a good week but finally decided to publish it mostly because I think Gibbs needs to face this part of his past and I feel like it would change the dynamic between Jack and Gibbs… Plus lately Hollis has been on my mind and from what I’ve seen on my Tumblr she’s been on some other people’s minds as well so here she is! I make no promises on how long I’ll dwell on the Jenny thing but I thought we needed a bit of extra drama… Remember I own nothing but I absolutely love to hear from you guys!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Thirteen

He heard the footsteps over the floor above him, he had a good guess as to who it was. Jack had gone to take a bath fifteen minutes earlier and both kids had gone to bed after a long day of worrying about their father. They still didn’t have any leads and as much as it had pained all of them to do so they had broken up two hours earlier, all of them in desperate need of food, sleep and a shower. They would start fresh in the morning and as worried as they all were they weren’t doing their jobs effectively anymore. He glanced up from the boat as her shoes appeared at the top of the stairs.

“It’s good to see that some things never change.” Hollis stated dryly. 

“Helps me think.” He replied with a shrug. 

He watched her carefully descend the stairs, running her hand over the wood of the boat before looking at him.

“I brought you this.” She said, holding out the envelope he had never retrieved from Jack’s office, “you don’t have to read it tonight but don’t throw it out, it was obviously important for Ziva to hang on to it all these years.” 

He took it and placed it on the workbench, he would read it, the investigator in him needed to know what the letter said but not then, not in front of her. 

“You’ve changed.” She stated softly, when he remained silent.“Ten years ago, hell two years ago, you would’ve bitten someone’s head off for telling you how to run your team, I was waiting for it today I was bracing for it but it never came.”

He knew she was right, in most situations he still hated when people gave their input on his team but there was something about Jack that he trusted. She wasn’t giving input to try to change how he ran things, she rarely gave input unless it was for the good of his team, unless she noticed something he had missed. 

“You’ve always loved your team but you’ve never shown it as blatantly as you do now.” She added, “you could see it in everything you did today, you let Ellie sleep, you didn’t yell when Torres nodded off, you asked about McGee’s personal life.”

He raised an eyebrow at her as if to ask her if there was a point to this soliloquy of hers.

“The Jethro I knew was a hard ass, I’ve seen the changes over the years and I think Ellie had a lot to do with it, she challenged you. She was the first one who was brave enough to question what you were doing, she made you love her and I think on some level she reminds you of Kelly.” She waited for the denial to come, for the argument to come but it didn’t. “I heard about Paraguay and I think that had a lot to do with it but I think the woman upstairs has a lot to do with it too.” 

He opened his mouth to argue but he couldn’t think of a reason to, she had hit the nail on the head and he couldn’t deny it. 

“I saw the way she looked at you and I saw the way you looked at her, I have never seen that look on your face before, despite everything that was going on, the minute you looked at her in her office you looked at peace.” She stated, “I’ve seen you a lot of different things but never peaceful.”

He pursed his lips but nodded slowly, again he couldn’t find anything to argue with, there was just something about Jack’s presence that made him feel peaceful, that made him relax. 

“There a reason you’re telling me this?” He asked after a minute.

“Because I know you.” She replied, “I didn’t read or look at anything in there,” she nodded towards the envelope on the workbench. “But from what Abby’s letter said I think I might have an idea of what’s in it. I know how you are, you get to a place where you can be happy and then you self-sabotage, she is so good for you don’t push her away, Jethro.”

“We’re not together.” He reminded her, “we’re just friends.” 

“I don’t think either of you believe that.” She stated quietly, “you may not be together but I know how you look at your friends, I know how you’ve looked at your wives, I know how you looked at me, and I have never seen the look you get on your face when you look at her. It’s not my place to tell you what to do or to give you relationship advice, God only knows how that went last time but no matter what is in that letter please don’t let it ruin this. You’ve got a good thing going here, don’t let something from the past destroy the present.” 

“I’m done living in the past.” He stated quietly.

He had been done living in the past after his shooting in Iraq but Paraguay had been the real push he had needed, like he had told Grace he was finally in a place where he was happy and he wasn’t going to give that up. 

“Thanks for brining that by.” He added, “did you want a drink or something?”

“No, I’m okay.” She replied, glancing up when there were footsteps on the ceiling above them. 

“Hey, Cowboy do you-“ Jack paused at the top of the stairs, “Special Agent Mann, I didn’t know you were here.” 

“I was just leaving.” Hollis replied, grabbing her bag.

“No, no, I was just coming to let Gibbs know I was going to head off to bed.” Jack replied, “I’ll see you at the Yard tomorrow, it was nice seeing you again.” 

N*C*I*S

Jack heard the front door shut just as she was pulling back the cover on the bed back, up to that point she had never been in Gibbs’ bedroom but it definitely didn’t surprise her in any way. The bare beige walls and dark furniture were his style all the way and the clean but plain navy blue bedspread was simple and functional. The only personal touches in the room were the four picture frames on the dresser, one was a team picture with two people she didn’t recognize, the next one was a much more recent team photo that had been taken when the twins had been born. The other picture was of two girls, one with bright red hair and the other with dark brown curly hair, she had seen a few other pictures and knew one of the girls was Emily Fornell but she didn’t know the other girl and the last picture was of the twins and Victoria Palmer at Victoria’s third birthday party. 

She climbed onto ‘her’ side of the bed and pulled the blankets up over her before grabbing her book and glasses off of the bedside table and putting them on. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs and looked up when Gibbs poked his head in the room.

“Okay if I come in?” 

“It is your room.” She pointed out with a small grin, “Is Hollis gone?” She asked after a second.

“Yeah, she was just dropping something off.” He replied.

She nodded and watched as he grabbed a pair of sweats and a t-shirt out of the drawer before heading into the bathroom. She went back to her book as he got ready for bed, she looked up again when he reappeared. She pulled off her glasses when he didn’t approach the bed but just leaned against the bathroom doorframe.

“You okay?” She asked gently.

She didn’t know what the story was behind him and Hollis Mann or what the woman had brought to him, she hadn’t asked and he had yet to volunteer the information but she knew it had been a hard day for him. She could see how exhausted he was, how hard he was working to keep on his usual strong face for his team, her and the kids.

He looked up at her and she could see the conflict in his eyes, could see the debate on how he would respond. 

“No.” He replied with a small sigh, “it’s been a long day.”

“Yeah.” She agreed with a nod, “long week.” 

She pulled back the covers on the other side of the bed and nodded towards it, not in a demand but in a silent invitation. He didn’t question it or ask her if she was sure, they’d already had the debate of where they would sleep after supper and they had both agreed that there was no point in adding a sore back to the mix of things from sleeping on the couch. She had been worried about invading his personal space or privacy but he had quickly shut her down.

He pushed himself off of the wall and climbed into the bed beside her, he remained sitting up with his back against the headboard. 

“Wanna talk about it?” 

She wouldn’t push him but she wanted him to know that she was there if he chose to talk.

“Not tonight.” He replied.

She saw him glance over at her and knew he was checking to make sure she wasn’t upset or angry with his refusal to talk, she gave him a small smile and nodded, putting her glasses back on.

“Who’s the little girl?” She asked, nodding to the picture on his dresser.

“My God-Daughter Amira.” Gibbs replied with a fond smile, “she was about six in that picture, Em was thirteen, Diane and Tobias went out of town for the weekend and left Em with me. Em’s always loved Amira, the little sister she never had.” 

“I’d like to meet Emily one day, she sounds like an amazing kid.” 

“She is.” Gibbs replied proudly, “lot like her mom.” 

“I’ve heard some stories.” Jack said with a raised eyebrow, “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.” 

Gibbs chuckled and nodded, “Diane was something else, a bit crazy but she was a good mom and a good friend.” 

“Not many people can say that about their exes.” Jack pointed out.

“We weren’t good for a long time but then Em was born, took us awhile but we figured out how to make it work for the three of us.” He replied with a shrug. 

“And now you and Tobias make it work for the two of you.”

The relationship between Gibbs and Tobias fascinated her, they were two grown men, completely different, who had a relationship very similar to that of a married couple. She knew they cared about each other, probably loved each other in their own weird way but their love for Emily, the way that they put her first no matter what, the way the both melted when she was brought up made her smile every time. She knew Gibbs thought of his team as his kids, and there were times when he treated them like they were much younger than they were, times when he let them be kids again but Emily really was a kid and from the stories she had heard Gibbs adored her.

“He needs help sometimes.” Gibbs replied, “better now that Em is away at school but she comes home soon, he gets a bit overwhelmed sometimes, Ellie and Grace help out a lot too.”

“It’s good that she has women in her life.” Jack stated, “and it’s good that Tobias has help.”

“Yeah, she’ll be home from school in a few weeks, Tobias and I switch off weekends in the summer.” He said, “With her being away at school she doesn’t have a lot of friends ‘round here, she gets bored quick so I do every other weekend, changes it up for her and give Fornell a break.”

“And what do you do with her?” Jack asked, curious as to how he would keep a teenager entertained.

“We go see Amira, people watch at the war memorial, she and Ellie will go out on Friday nights to a movie.” Gibbs replied, “I’ve been taking her for weekends since she was a kid, we always find stuff to do.” 

“She sounds like a really specially kid.” Jack stated.

“She is.” Gibbs agreed before going silent.

Jack fixed her glasses and flipped her book back over, she watched out of the corner of her eye as Gibbs opened the top drawer of his bedside table and pulled out a book and his reading glasses.

“Let me know when you want to sleep.” She said, “I’ll turn off the lamp.”

“Doesn’t bother me.” He replied, “can sleep anywhere.”

“Perks of the military.” She stated with a knowing smile.

Although she had her preferences and sometimes had a hard time falling asleep she had learned to adapt to her surroundings during her time in the military and could fall asleep almost anywhere if she put her mind to it.

They read in silence for close to fifteen minutes, the only sound the occasional rustle of pages. Jack finally closed her book when she felt her eyelids beginning to droop. She had been trying to avoid sleep, she knew the nightmares would come, a part of her hoped her extreme exhaustion would stop them but she doubted it. She closed the book and placed it on the nightstand and took off her glasses and placed them on top before laying down, she heard Gibbs make a move to shut off his lamp she thought about telling him he could keep reading but judging by the small exhale he made as he laid down he was just as ready for sleep as she was. She listened to him get comfortable and muttered a quick goodnight before drifting off, the exhaustion of the last week finally overwhelming her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one done! I hope you guys enjoyed and please remember I own nothing! Go check out JamJar98’s newest story and FromStonetoHallows (NerdyJibbsOreo) newest video on youtube! Also be sure to check out all of our instagram accounts (all under the same names!) I love to hear from you guys and your reviews absolutely make my day!
> 
> ~Katie


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Fourteen

He knew what was happening before he even opened his eyes, it was her quiet moan that alerted him to her discomfort and by the time he had opened his eyes the moan had turned into a whimper. He pushed himself up on his arm, he could see the fine sheen of sweat over her face illuminated by the pale moonlight coming in through the window. He could see her eyes darting around under her eyelids and reached out to touch her shoulder, he was flat on his back in a second his hand pinned to his chest with her straddling his waist. Her eyes flew open as her chest heaved, it took her a minute to realize that Gibbs wasn’t a threat but when she did she released his hand and let her hands fall to his shoulders. He rested one hand on her lower back and pushed a damp piece of hair off of her face with the other.

“You’re safe.” He whispered.

She breathed deeply and leaned forward to rest her head against his shoulder, he ran his hand up and down her back. Her breath was still coming in sharp bursts against his neck, he ran his free hand through her hair and waited until her breathing started to even out before he spoke again. 

“Wanna talk about it?” He asked quietly.

He felt and heard her take a deep breath against his neck before she shook her head.

“I was back there.” She muttered, “there’s nothing more to say.” 

He gave the back of her neck a light squeeze in understanding, he had been there, he knew. It had been different for him he was sure, he was a man, he had only been captive for four months instead of nine but he knew the feeling of helplessness that came with having zero control over what was happening to you, he knew how hard it was to try and live life normally again.

“I know.” He stated, “the nightmares… They’re real.” 

“I just want it to stop.” She whispered, “I want life to go back to normal… When I thought he was dead… I stopped looking over my shoulder all the time, now… Now I’m back there, I’m back to being afraid… All the time.” 

“You’re safe.” He said again, “Nothin’s gonna happen to you now.”

“I’m safe.” She said with a mirthless chuckle, “what about Leon?”

He sighed and gently tangled his hand in her hair, lightly massaging the nape of her neck.

“We’re doing everything we can, Jack.” He reminded her, “this is not your fault.”

“I should’ve done something.” She whispered, “I should have followed him out of the bar and taken care of him then and there.”

“No.” He stated firmly, his hand stilling on her back. “No… You did everything right, you did your job and that’s all you can do.”

“And what about Leon?”

“He was doing his job.” He replied, “just like McGee and I were doing our jobs in Paraguay, just like you were doing your job in Afghanistan… We do our jobs knowing that bad stuff can happen to us, Leon went in knowing what could happen but that is not your fault, it is Nigel Hakim’s fault and no one else’s… What happened to you… What’s happening to Leon, none of it. Is. Your. Fault.” He stated, “you need to stop blaming yourself because it’s not helping anyone.” 

He had tried reasoning, he had tried being gentle, now it was time to be firm. He didn’t know if it was the right time but judging by the soft sigh against his neck before she sat up it had either worked or he was about to be sleeping on the couch.

“I know.” She admitted with a sigh, “but I need to blame someone.” 

“Blame Hakim.” 

“I am, but I can’t help but feel like I should have done something different.” She muttered. 

“You did everything right, Jack.” He promised, “we’re going to find Hakim and we’re going to find Leon.” 

He rested his hands on her thighs and watched as she ran her hand through her tangled hair, he moved his thumbs back and forth absentmindedly as she debated what she wanted to say.

“I just want things to go back to normal.” 

“I know.” He replied, “Me too.” 

“Ever wish you could go back and change things?” She asked quietly, “Change the choices you made that lead to Paraguay?”

His thumbs stilled as he considered her question. If it had been anyone else asking him he wouldn’t answer but he couldn’t say deny her an answer, not then.

“No.” He said after a moment, “wish I could’ve done it alone, wish Tim hadn’t been involved.”

He would have done anything to save Tim from the horrors they had experienced, he loved the man like a son and even though the experience had brought them closer he would have given anything to save him, anything to shield him from the bad things in the world.

“I’ve never liked baths but I can’t shower anymore.” He admitted quietly, “I hate being out in the rain and having water on my face, used to love a good storm, loved to swim… The nightmares, they’re still there but… Before Paraguay… I didn’t know how to be happy, was living but wasn’t alive… When I came back I felt happy, I felt alive for the first time in a long time.”

He remembered the shock he had felt when Grace had asked him how he felt, when he had realized that instead of being upset that he was still alive he had felt relieved, felt happy. He had been relieved that Tim was okay, that they would both live to see another year, that they would both live to see Tim’s children born and to see them grow up.

Jack nodded and rested her hands on his chest, he could tell that she understood by the look on her face. He already knew that if she could change things she would, her story hadn’t had the happy ending that his had had. She had come home alone, three of her friends, three of her brothers had died in front of her and now the man who was probably one of her best friends was missing and probably going through all kinds of hell.

She shifted and nodded, her eyes falling to look down at him, now that she was calm he realized what an intimate position they were in. She seemed to have the same realization at the same time judging by the way she stiffened before shifting off of him awkwardly.

“Sorry.” She muttered, laying on her back beside him.

He rolled onto his side and pushed himself up on his arm to look down at her.

“Nothing to be sorry about.” He stated quietly, “you gonna try and go back to sleep or do you wanna stay up?” 

The digital clock on his nightstand said 0430, they could probably get another hour of sleep in but he doubted either of them would be able to sleep. 

“I think I’m going to take a shower, if that’s okay.” She replied, “I’m feeling gross.”

“Go ahead, I’m gonna go start the coffee pot.” 

He rolled out of bed as she sat up and pulled on a sweatshirt, there was a chill in the air even though it was the last week of May and judging by the way Jack shivered she was feeling the chill just as much as he was. He made his way out of the bedroom and into the hallway, pausing to adjust the thermostat before making his way downstairs.

Jack reappeared dressed in the same navy blue dress she had worn her first day at NCIS just as the coffee was finishing brewing. Gibbs was leaning against the counter when she walked in and couldn’t help letting his eyes roam over the dress. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, at least not then, but he loved it when she wore that colour. He thought she was attractive no matter what she wore but darker colours made her light hair and hazel eyes pop. He hadn’t seen the dress since her first day and he had been so distracted with being ticked at both her and Leon that he hadn’t noticed how good she looked in it.

“Are you okay?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah.” He replied snapping himself out of it, “I’m good.”

“Okay.” She replied with a small shake of her head. 

She walked past him and grabbed a mug out of the cupboard, she poured a generous amount of sugar into it before adding coffee. Gibbs watched her out of the corner of his eye and smirked as she stirred her coffee. He would never quite understand how she could stomach that much sugar anytime of the day, much less that early in the morning.  
“I was going to make the kids a nice breakfast.” She stated while he was pouring himself his coffee. “Since they’re insisting on going back to school today they may as well have a decent breakfast before they go.”

“I got groceries yesterday, what did you want to make?” He asked, heading into the dining room with his coffee.

“Bacon, eggs, maybe some hash-browns if you have any potatoes laying around.”

“I’ll get them boiling.” He replied, placing his coffee on the table before heading back into the kitchen. 

N*C*I*S

Gibbs ran his hands over his face as he listened to Hollis recount everything the had learned the day before. It was only 0830 and he was already exhausted, he and Jack had worked together to make breakfast and had sent the kids off with handpicked agents for school before heading into work. His team was re-energized and back to working at full capacity but they had yet to find anything new. 

“We’re running down Nigel Hakim’s financials and DoD has frozen all of his assets.” Hollis stated, clicking a button on the TV to shut it down, “Nick is in MTAC following up on the changed flight plan and Ellie is down with Kasie running through the air fields security tapes.”

“I’m pulling all of the surveillance footage from the bar where Sloane… Saw Hakim to see if we can get anything from that.” McGee spoke up from his desk.

Gibbs nodded and took a drink of his coffee, he looked over when he heard the elevator ding and raised an eyebrow when he saw Palmer step off with a small pink backpack slung over his shoulder. His curiosity was satisfied as a small blonde blur flew at him.

“GG!” Victoria Palmer exclaimed leaping into Gibbs’ arms. 

He managed to crouch down and extend his arms just in time to catch the excited three year old, he swung her up into his arms and settled her on his hip.

“Hey, Tori.” He greeted with a small chuckle, his grin widening as the toddler planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

“I am so sorry Special Agent Gibbs, Breena’s mother was supposed to be taking her today but she woke up with a really bad cold and Breena had an appointment at work that she couldn’t miss.” Palmer babbled, “she’ll be here as soon as she can but it might be an hour or two.”

“Relax, Palmer.” He said, cutting off the nervous babble. 

He ran his hand over Victoria’s back and kissed the top of her head when she cuddled up to him. He loved the little girl, he couldn’t deny that, he had fallen for her blonde hair and wide blue eyes the minute he had laid eyes on her and hadn’t been able to distance himself from her. She’d had him wrapped around her little finger from the minute she had been born and she knew it. From the time she could talk he had been GG he didn’t know if Palmer and Breena had started it or if the toddler had just been unable to say his name but he had never fought it. 

“Sorry it’s been a crazy morning, I just have to find Special Agent Rodrigues and tell her that I’m going to be a bit late on the autopsy for her case.”

“Go ahead, do the autopsy.” Gibbs said, holding out his hand for the backpack, “I’ll keep an eye on her.” 

“Oh I can’t ask you to do that, you’re busy.” Palmer argued.

“We’re tracking flight plans and making phone calls, if we have to go I’ll give you a call.” Gibbs replied with a shrug, “Rodrigues needs whatever you can give her from that body and you can’t take Tori down with you.”

“Alright…” Palmer replied hesitantly, “do you want to hang out with GG for a bit, Victoria?” 

“Yeah!” She exclaimed happily before wrapping her arms around Gibbs’ neck.

“We’ll be fine, not my first time around the block.” Gibbs reminded him. 

“Of course not.” Palmer agreed quickly, “I just didn’t want to bother you.” 

“She won’t be a bother.” Gibbs stated, raising an eyebrow when he saw Jack round the corner into the bullpen.

He couldn’t help his small smile when he saw her light up as soon as her eyes landed on Victoria. She had met the little girl when Palmer had invited her for a welcome dinner when she had first moved to DC and like Gibbs had been a goner upon meeting her. Victoria saw Jack at the same time and started squirming in Gibbs’ arms.

“Nona!” The toddler exclaimed, holding out her arms to Jack.

“Hey, Gorgeous.” Jack greeted, taking her from Gibbs.

Gibbs watched her give the toddler a big kiss and cuddle her close. He couldn’t help but feel relief upon seeing Jack smile, actually smile for the first time in days as she cuddled Victoria. Palmer shook his head with a fond smile as he watched the two, Jack had been an active part of Victoria’s life since that first dinner and when they were together the two were inseparable. 

“Good morning, Special Agent Sloane.” Palmer greeted, “Alright Victoria, Daddy’s going to go downstairs, you stay here with GG and Nona okay?”

“‘Kay, Daddy.” Victoria replied, giving Palmer a distracted wave as she cuddled with Jack. 

Gibbs grinned again at the nickname for Jack. Victoria had only been two and a half when she had first met her and Jack had come out as ‘Yack’ and she had been unable to pronounce Sloane. At first she had called her ‘known’ but it had gradually turned to Nona and Palmer and Breena had both thought that it was cute and had never bothered to correct her. 

“I take it the baby-sitter fell through.” Jack stated as Palmer walked away.

“Breena’s mom had a cold and Breena’s in a meeting.” Gibbs explained, “she’ll be here in the next hour or so.”

“Well I guess we’ll have to keep you busy until then, huh little miss?” Jack cooed, “do you want me to take her to my office or can she sit here?”

“Wherever.” Gibbs replied with a shrug, “We’re just making phone calls.” 

“Why don’t we sit at Aunty Ellie’s desk and colour for a bit.” Jack suggested, “and then GG can get back to work.” 

Gibbs watched Jack get Victoria set up, completely forgetting about Hollis.

“GG?” She asked quietly, leaning against Gibbs’ desk as she watched Jack and Victoria.

“Don’t know how it got started.” Gibbs replied with a shrug, he glanced over at Jack one last time before turning back to his desk. 

He had barely turned around before his desk phone started to ring.

N*C*I*S

Jack looked up from handing Victoria crayons out of her backpack as Gibbs’ phone rang, she watched him pick it up and raised an eyebrow as he muttered a few words before hanging up.

“We found the plane.” He stated, standing up, “Torres got a lead in MTAC.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I took some liberties with Victoria because I really wanted to see those two with a young kid and the twins would barely be seven months old here so I went with Victoria… I wanted names for both of them that could be mistaken as ‘grandparent names’ so I went with GG and Nona, I don’t think it would be this in Canon but this is fanfiction so bear with me lol… I love to hear from you guys! I don’t own anything except my mistakes!
> 
> ~Katie


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Fifteen 

Jack chuckled softly as she watched Victoria press random buttons on the video game controller in her hand. The toddler had grown tired of colouring and had objected to every other suggestion Jack had given so she had offered her the video game controller hoping to distract her while she tried to figure out what was going on in MTAC. 

She had been trying her best to keep a level head so she didn’t stress out Victoria but Gibbs had been in MTAC on radio silence for close to an hour and she could feel herself slowly beginning to unravel. She ran her hand through her hair and walked back over to her desk, she perched on the edge of and watched the toddler on the couch squeal happily. 

She pushed herself off of the desk and began to slowly pace the length of the room behind where Victoria was sitting, just out of the toddlers view. She had reached the door and was about to turn around to walk back to the window when the door opened and Gibbs appeared followed closely by Hollis.

“Well?” She asked, not even bothering with a greeting.

Gibbs nodded to the corner of the room farthest from Victoria, Jack followed him and raised her eyebrow when he didn’t speak.

“I know you like one word sentences but I need you to at least open your mouth, Gibbs.” She stated.

“We found the plane, it landed in Russia before rerouting to Afghanistan.” Hollis said when Gibbs didn’t open his mouth, “we have a field agent searching it now.”

“We need one of our own over there.” Jack stated, “the field offices over there are stretched thin as it is.” 

“Sending an agent now.” Gibbs spoke up, “leaving in half an hour.” 

“Not you?”

“No, not me.” Gibbs assured her, “Torres.” 

“What do you mean Torres?” Jack asked in surprise.

“McGee needs to be here, Ellie isn’t in any shape to leave right now.” Gibbs replied, “and I’m not sending you.”

“You and the kids need me here.” She stated, “but this might be exactly what Ellie needs.”

“No.” Gibbs replied firmly, “she needs to be here.”

“Where you can monitor her?” Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No.”

“Is this for her good or yours?” Jack challenged.

“Jack.” He warned.

“Don’t Jack me, Cowboy.” She retorted, “I get it, you’re worried about Ellie, I am too but is the solution to that sending Nick into a dangerous country on his own?” 

“He’ll have other agents there.” Gibbs replied, “I know what I’m doing.” 

“Alright.” She conceded raising her hands, “do you two need any help with anything?” 

“No, I’m going to get in touch with DoD see if they can lend any resources over there and Ellie is on the phone with the NSA.” Hollis replied before excusing herself.

“I’m gonna check in with the agents at the school.” Gibbs added, “you need anything for her?” He asked, nodding at Victoria who had just taken notice of him.

“GG!” She exclaimed, her face splitting into a wide grin. 

“Hey, Tor.” 

Jack watched Gibbs scoop up the toddler and brush her wild hair off her face.

“Can you do braids, GG?” 

“Why don’t I do them, GG is busy.” Jack suggested.

“I can take five minutes if you can call the agents at the school.” Gibbs said.

“Sure.” Jack replied with a shrug.

“Got a brush anywhere?” 

Jack dug around in her desk drawer until she found a brush.

“I think there are elastics in the front pocket of her backpack.” Jack said as she pulled out her cellphone. 

She watched Gibbs out of the corner of her eye as she checked in with the agents guarding Jared and Kayla. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched the gentle way he combed out Victoria’s wispy blonde hair before he sectioned it off and expertly braided it back. It wasn’t too tight or too lose and the proud little smirk that appeared on his face as he admired his handy work was almost endearing. She hung up the phone and sat down next to him on the couch.

“I didn’t know you could braid.” She said, admiring the French braid falling down Victoria’s back.

“Had a lot of practice.” Gibbs replied quietly, “With Kelly and then Em and Amira.” 

She offered him a sad smile and reached out to give his hand a gentle squeeze, he squeezed back before dropping her hand to rest his arm over the back of the couch, not quite around her but close enough that she could feel the heat off of it. 

“Thanks, GG.” Victoria said, as she crawled up onto the couch and wormed her way half onto Jack’s lap and half onto Gibbs’.

“You’re welcome.” Gibbs replied, adjusting her so she wasn’t digging her knee into his leg, “watch Nona’s arm.” He warned when Jack winced and shifted.

“Sorry, Nona.” 

“It’s okay, Baby.” Jack reassured her, “Nona’s just old.” She added in a whisper.

She heard Gibbs snort beside her and rolled her eyes when he muttered ‘old’ under his breath. She knew she wasn’t that old, he had fourteen years on her but she was starting to feel her age a bit more than she had in previous years. She shuffled over a bit more when Victoria shifted again and was so close that her thigh was pressed against Gibbs’. 

“What did the agents at the school say?” 

“Everything is fine, the kids are okay.” Jack replied, “I talked to Leon’s sister and she’s ready to jump on a plane whenever, I told her to stay put for now, it’s safer for her there.”

“I have agents keeping tabs on her too, just in case.” Gibbs stated, “I don’t want her coming back until we know a bit more.”

She made a noise in agreement and rested her head against the back of the couch, Victoria heaved a satisfied sigh as she leaned over and cuddled up between the two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small filler chapter because I’m having serious writers block for everything and felt bad for leaving you guys hanging for so long… Remember I own nothing but I love to hear from you guys!
> 
> ~Katie


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Sixteen

“Yeah, I got my revenge but you aren’t going to go to a black ops site and you aren’t going to be tortured. You are going to get three meals a day, time to pray and the full weight of the United States government to protect you during your trial and do you know why? Because you are the monster and we’re the good guys.” Jack informed Nigel Hakim firmly. 

Gibbs had never been so grateful to see someone in his life. He kept his reaction under control when Jack offered him a small grin as she walked past him. He was relieved to see Leon alive and well, relieved that he would not have to tell Kayla and Jared that their father hadn’t made it but when he saw Jack alive and clearly in a much better mental place he felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off of his shoulders. 

The summer had felt like it had lasted ten years, Kayla and Jared had finished school and then gone to their aunts for the summer before Kayla had returned for University. Jack had stayed sort of level for most of the summer but he had kept a close eye on her, he had seen the erratic patterns in her behaviour and hoped that now that Leon was back things would return to normal. They had spent a good amount of time together over the summer but he had felt the distance Jack tried to keep between them. The small smile that she was offering him was a bit of a reassurance that she might be getting back to her normal self but he didn’t know what that meant for their friendship. 

She had begged him to trust her with Operation Cuckoos Nest, it had taken some convincing and he still hadn’t been one hundred percent on board with it but he had eventually given in. He trusted Jack, he knew she could do her job and do it well, he was worried about how her current mental state would affect just how she did her job but he was getting desperate enough to let her try whatever she was planning if it meant getting Leon back and having the Jack he knew back.

Being locked in the Naval Reactor when the plan was put into play had not been a part of it and his mind had been going a million miles a minute trying to figure out how best to save his young agents and worrying about how Jack was handling her end of the plan. Having to trust Nick Torres of all people to figure out a complicated encryption system had just about been the last straw but the young agent had stepped up to the plate and saved the day in the same way Gibbs himself probably would have.

Jack gave his arm a squeeze as she passed him, he offered her a silent nod and a barely there smirk. He hoped that she would be able to pull herself back on track now that the Monster was finally put in a cage where he belonged. He wanted to tell her how proud he was of her, how much she amazed him with her strength, but he knew he couldn’t when they were surrounded by other people.

N*C*I*S

He didn’t get a chance to see her again until late that evening, Kayla had been returned to her father, Jared was safely on a flight home and Leon was back where he belonged with his family. He knew that it was in no way over, there would be months of repercussions following the torture Leon had no doubt endured and the memories that had been drug to the surface for Jack. He knew just as well as anyone exactly how hellish the next few months would be, therapy, physical therapy and nightmares. PTSD was a bitch he knew all too well. 

He added another log to the fire, the air had a chill to it for early September and his knee was acting up. He had wanted to spend the night in the basement but the air was damper down there and the idea of the stairs turned him off of the idea. He grabbed his book off of the coffee table and dropped down onto the couch. 

He honestly hadn’t been expecting any company and he certainly hadn’t expected Jack Sloane of all people to show up. Although they had spent time together both inside and outside of work over the course of the summer she had stayed away from his house after Kayla and Jared had gone to stay with their aunt. 

He got two pages into his book when there was a small knock on his front door before he heard it open. A moment later Jack appeared in the entrance to the living-room, she leaned against the wall and seemed to hesitate.

“You comin’ in or are ya just gonna stand there?” 

“Am I welcome?”

“Never stopped you before.” Gibbs retorted, his mind flashing back to the first night she had shown up on his doorstep almost a year ago, “but yeah.” He added when she still didn’t enter.

She hesitated for another moment before stepping into the room, she dropped down onto the corner of the couch and folded her hands in her lap. He took a minute to study her and couldn’t help but notice her choice of outfit, a loose white dress and a denim jacket, her hair was as usual in loose waves falling over her shoulders. He wasn’t used to seeing her in a dress quiet like that one but something else was off about her that he couldn’t place. 

“I was at the cemetery.” She stated quietly.

He looked up from his silent investigation of her in surprise, he wasn’t surprised that she had been at the cemetery he was however surprised that she was actually telling him about it. There had been a time that they had been completely honest with each other but he got the feeling that she had been holding back since Leon’s capture. 

“I needed to tell them…” She twisted her hands and pressed her thumbs to her lip, “I needed to tell them it was over, that it’s finally over.” 

Gibbs placed his book back down on the coffee table and leaned back against the couch.

“Is it over?” He asked quietly. 

“I don’t know that it will ever be over completely, not for me and not for Leon but there’s… closure now.” 

She pursed her lips, leaned forward and rested her chin on her closed fist.

“I just…”

“Wish they could have been around to see it.” Gibbs finished for her.

“Yeah.”

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and he could see a calm there that he had never seen before. There was still a sadness about her that she normally masked in a flurry of activity and cheerful smiles, he could see it in her eyes on some days but that night it was written plainly on her face and the way her shoulders slumped but there was also an odd peacefulness to her sadness. 

“What do you need, Jack?” 

He didn’t know how to help her, he hated it when she cried but in that moment he almost wished for it, he at least had a decent idea of how to comfort her then. 

“I don’t know.” 

He couldn’t help the snort that escaped him and he got a watery smile in response, through the smile he could see the exhaustion on her face.

“When was the last time you slept?” 

“I… I don’t remember.” She admitted after a moment. 

Almost as if to emphasize her point she placed her hand over her mouth to stifle a large yawn.

“You’ve gotta sleep, Jack.” He sighed and pushed himself off of the couch, “You want something to drink?” He asked when she made no effort to respond.

“Maybe a beer.” She replied after a moment. 

He made his way into the kitchen and pulled two bottles of beer out of the fridge, it took him a moment to find the bottle opener and by the time he made his way back into the living room Jack was stretched out lengthwise on the couch, sound asleep. Her hand was tucked under her head and her fist was pressed under her chin. 

She looked more peaceful than she had in months, and he didn’t have the heart to wake her. Instead he placed the two bottles on the coffee table and pulled an old blanket out of the basket beside the couch. He draped it over her and took his seat back on the edge of the couch. Her head was half a foot away from him and he looked down in surprise when he felt a light pressure on his thigh, the hand that had been tucked under her chin was now resting on his thigh, her other hand was still tucked under her head and her feet were wedged between the back of the couch and the corner cushion. He smiled softly and carefully leaned forward to grab his book before settling back, one hand holding the book and the other resting on top of hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND I AM BACK! So I know a lot of you hate time jumps and believe you me this is not at all what I had planned but I just couldn’t make any of my other ideas work so we’ll be dealing with the summer in flashbacks that are relevant to the rest of the story (unless everyone hates that idea then I’ll figure something else out). I hope everyone enjoyed this and I love to hear from you… Is anyone else going through some serious Slibbs withdrawal because I am dying here, I really need something good before the end of the season… On another note tonights episode… WOW, I just loved everything about it (minus the minimal Slibbs) Nick mentioned Campfires and I died a bit… The song at the end was so perfect, every once in awhile NCIS just finds the perfect song and tonight it was just fabulous! Okay I’m done ranting, I own nothing!  
> ~Katie


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Seventeen

Gibbs blinked his eyes open groggily when he heard the sound of his front door opening and closing, he immediately thought that Jack was sneaking out but a glance down assured him that she was exactly where she had fallen asleep close to eight hours ago. The clock on the wall read 0830 and while he wasn’t surprised Jack was still asleep he was a bit shocked that he had managed to sleep in that long, especially since he was still sitting up on the couch, his feet resting on the coffee table. 

His thoughts turned back to the person who was now standing in his foyer taking off their shoes, whoever it was must have had a key because he knew Jack had locked the door when she came in the night before, it was force of habit for her no matter what his open door policy was. There was an odd but familiar sound as the door opened again and a second person joined the first in the foyer. He wanted to call out but didn’t want to wake Jack up. 

“I’m sure he’s awake, it’s already after eight.” Kayla Vance’s voice rang out. 

“In here.” He called out quietly.

Jack stirred and the hand that was miraculously still on his thigh tightened for a moment but she didn’t wake up. Kayla came into the living room and rolled her eyes at the sight of them on the couch, Gibbs obviously having just woken up and Jack still asleep. 

“Why is it that you two can never sleep in one of the three beds upstairs?” She asked, “you know this isn’t good for your backs and Gibbs that’s not doing anything good for your knee.” 

Leon stepped behind his daughter, curious to see who the other person in the room was, he didn’t know who he was expecting but it definitely hadn’t been Jack Sloane. Jack Sloane sitting on the couch reading or drinking was one thing, Jack Sloane stretched out on the couch with her hand resting intimately high on Gibbs’ leg while half asleep was a completely different thing. 

“Supposed to keep it elevated.” Gibbs shrugged, ignoring Leon’s curious gaze. 

“That isn’t elevated Gibbs.” Kayla protested, “if you’re going to use that as an excuse then at least put a pillow under your foot or something.” 

“Yes, mother.” Gibbs conceded, rolling his eyes, “what’re you doing here at eight-thirty on a Saturday? Don’t you have something else you’d rather be doing besides disturbing the peace here?” 

“Well you two wild party animals obviously need supervision so I thought I would check in.” Kayla replied sarcastically, “I’m actually just here to give you back my key.” She said when Gibbs just rolled his eyes at her sass, “and Dad and I were going to go for breakfast and thought you might like to join us.”   
“Coffee.” Jack muttered before pushing herself up groggily.

Gibbs snorted and dropped his feet from the coffee table.

“I guess that’s a yes from Jack.”

“It was.” Jack agreed, “Jack needs to change first though.” 

Leon chuckled at his best friend and watched her roll over and swing her feet off of the couch.

“I think there’s a change of clothes in the guest room from when the kids were stayin’ here, unless there’s a bag in your car.” Gibbs offered.

She remembered having left the clothes the week the kids had gone to their Aunt’s house and had never bothered to pick it back up again, she knew eventually she would get around to it or would need it if she drank too much and needed to spend the night.

“I took a cab over.” She admitted, “I had a drink or two before coming and didn’t want to drive.” 

“Clothes are upstairs.” Gibbs replied, nodding to the staircase, “Do you guys want to wait or meet us there?”

“We’ll wait.” Kayla said, “We can save gas and carpool, unless you two have somewhere to be afterwards.” 

“Nope.” Gibbs replied, “Palmer needs us at his place this afternoon but other than that we’re good.”

“Us or you?” Jack asked, looking at him in surprise.

“Asked for me, but figured you might wanna tag along and see Tori.” He explained, “he needs help with something outside,” He turned to Leon, “ He also wanted me to tell you that if you’re feeling up to it he and Breena are having a big barbecue tomorrow, sorta a back to school thing for the kids.” 

“I already said I would go but if you’re not feeling up to it I can cancel, Dad.” Kayla offered. 

“I’ll see in the morning but it might be fun.” Leon replied slowly, “be nice to see everyone again.” 

“They’d love to see you, Leon.” Jack commented, “wait until you see how big the twins have gotten and Victoria has grown another two inches.” She added proudly. 

Gibbs chuckled fondly at the pride clearly evident in her voice, he was proud of his ‘grandkids’ too and showed them off whenever possible. He loved having Jack around because she shared the same level of enthusiasm about the three young children. 

“Go. Get changed.” He ordered with another small chuckle, “I need coffee.” 

Jack rolled her eyes and gave him a mock salute before jogging up the stairs to the guest bedroom, he excused himself and followed after her to get changed in his own room. He changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a newer t-shirt before making his way downstairs where Kayla and Leon were waiting in the living room.

“Do you have my graduation pictures, Gibbs?” Kayla asked, “I have some but they’re all in my dorm and I haven’t been back there yet.”

“I have em’ in the basement, I’ll grab them and your dad can look at them at breakfast.” He offered.

By the time he returned from the basement, envelope of pictures in hand, Jack was standing, purse slung over her shoulder, with Leon and Kayla by the front door. He eyed her outfit with raised eyebrows, light wash jeans, black tennis shoes and a dark blue flannel shirt tied in a knot at her waist, it had the top three buttons undone and she was wearing a white tank-top underneath. 

“That’s my shirt.” He commented, nodding to the flannel.

“It was in Ellie’s drawer.” She countered.

“She borrowed it a year ago, still haven’t gotten it or the other one she took back.” 

“I mean, I could take it off.” She replied, raising her eyebrow suggestively.

“Ew.” Kayla deadpanned, “Can we all please keep our clothes on and go and eat before my stomach caves in on itself.” 

“Relax, we’re going.” Jack laughed and threw her arm around her nieces shoulder, “are you driving?” 

“I’m not risking my life letting Gibbs drive.” She replied.

“I’m pretty sure my driving is better than yours.” Gibbs grumbled. 

“Whatever.” Kayla waved him off with a laugh, “get in the car.” 

“She’s so bossy.” Jack teased.  
“I learned from the best.” Kayla shot both her father and Gibbs pointed looks before hoisting herself into her father’s SUV. 

Gibbs couldn’t help but smile as Jack let out a merry laugh, he hadn’t heard that sound in a long time and he had missed it. 

N*C*I*S  
Later that afternoon Jack sat on a blanket in the Palmer’s backyard surrounded by dolls and teddybears, they were seated in a circle around a small tea set. Victoria Palmer handed her a small cup and she nodded gratefully as she took it.

“Thank you, Victoria.”

“You’re welcome, Nona.” The three year old responded happily, “what’re Daddy and GG doing?” 

“They’re fixing the bottom step on the deck.” Jack explained, “so that nobody falls and hurts themselves.” 

It was warm enough that she only needed Gibbs’ flannel to keep her warm outside and Victoria was wearing a light-pink windbreaker that she knew McGee and Delilah had gotten for her for her last birthday. Gibbs and Jimmy were fighting with the bottom step on the back deck and Breena had gone to get groceries when Jack had offered to keep an eye on young Victoria. Palmer and Breena had been pleasantly surprised to see Jack arrive with Gibbs and Victoria had been over the moon to be able to spend the afternoon with both her GG and Nona. 

She glanced back over to the two men and saw them packing up the tools Gibbs had brought over with him, the step looked as good as new from where she was sitting and she flashed them a grin and a thumbs up to let them know she approved. Jimmy laughed while Gibbs smirked.

“You coulda been more helpful, Miss. Critic.”

“Excuse you, I was supervising and it’s Doctor Critic to you.” She retorted. 

Gibbs held up his hands in mock apology and pushed himself off of the ground with a small groan, Victoria was up from her spot in a flash and hopping into his arms now that he had finished his task. Jack carefully put her teacup down and stood up, brushing her jeans off as she went. She was enjoying the time outside, with everything going on she hadn’t been able to enjoy the summer nearly as much as she had wanted to and now Fall was quickly approaching with Winter right on its’ heels. She was glad they were taking advantage of the last bit of warm weather and being able to spend the day with Victoria made it even better. 

She glanced over at Palmer who was watching Gibbs and Victoria with a proud little grin on his face and she couldn’t help but think how much being a father suited the younger doctor, she hadn’t known him before he’d had his daughter but she couldn’t imagine him as anything but the wonderful father he was. 

“Tony called me the other day.” Palmer stated out of the blue, “He said Tali really enjoyed her first day of school, I think he had a hard time letting her go though.” 

“First day of school is always hard.” Gibbs replied.

Jack raised an eyebrow at the admission, Gibbs almost never spoke of his little girl but although Palmer seemed tickled at the little tidbit of information he didn’t seem overly surprised that Gibbs had shared it. 

“I don’t know what Breena and I will do when Victoria starts school.” Palmer said wistfully. 

“You’ll enjoy all of the milestones that come with that.” Gibbs said wisely, “School concerts, parent teacher nights and open houses.” 

Gibbs winked at Victoria and lightly flicked her nose.

“Right, Tor?” Gibbs teased, “school’s lots of fun.” 

“Yup.” Victoria agreed enthusiastically.

“See?” Gibbs gave Palmer a pointed look. 

Jack couldn’t help but give a small laugh when Victoria tried to match Gibbs’ look, it was adorable and had far from the desired effect but the toddler grinned triumphantly anyway.

“You’re a bad influence on her.” Jack muttered. 

Gibbs shrugged and kissed the side of Victoria’s head making the toddler squeal happily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some happy fluff because the weather was beautiful here today and I was in a great mood… I love to hear from you guys, please please please leave reviews, I definitely do not base how often or how much I write on them but they do encourage me a lot when I’m feeling stuck or discouraged! Thank you to Isles15 who is my biggest cheerleader, sounding board and one of the first friends (yes it sucks to be you we are friends now I have deemed it so lol) I made in the fandom.
> 
> ~Katie


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Eighteen

Jack looked around the backyard, bustling with activity and nearly bursting with people. All of Gibbs’ team had been invited as well as Ducky, Kasie, Leon and his kids and Tobias and Emily Fornell. Breena and Jimmy had spread out a blanket in the shade under the tree in the yard and Johnny and Morgan were happily playing on it, Ellie and Jared were sitting with them monitoring to make sure they didn’t put anything in their mouths. Tim, Jimmy, Breena, Kasie, Nick and Delilah were seated around the table on the back-deck and Jack, Tobias, Gibbs, Ducky and Leon were seated on the comfortable outdoor lounge chairs on the other side of the deck, while Emily and Kayla threw a ball back and forth at the far end of the lawn. Victoria was darting around between the assorted groups, going wherever she felt was most interesting in that moment.

Jack laughed when Victoria flew over to their small group and launched herself into Gibbs’ lap with a loud giggle.

“Park, GG?” She asked with pleading eyes. 

Jack knew what Gibbs’ answer would be before he even opened his mouth. Gibbs was known for being a hardass with his team but when Victoria made those big eyes anywhere near Gibbs he melted and couldn’t say no. 

“If Mom and Dad say yes.” Gibbs conceded.

“Nona come too!” Victoria exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

If Gibbs was a sucker for the puppy eyes Jack was no better. 

“Nona will come too.” She agreed, “Why don’t we grab the stroller and we can bring Johnny and Morgan with us.” 

She pushed herself off of the chair and grabbed Victoria from Gibbs’ lap.

“Come on, Babe, let’s go ask Mommy and Daddy.” 

“Whipped.” Tobias coughed into his hand.

“You say no to that face.” Gibbs protested, pushing himself up.

“Didn’t think I’d ever see you all grandfatherly.” Tobias teased.

“Your turn is coming old man.” Gibbs warned.

“Sounded like a half assed warning to me.” Tobias retorted.  
Gibbs glanced over at Jack who was laughing and swinging a squealing Victoria around in her arms, his mouth quirked into a barely there smirk and he shrugged.

“Wasn’t a warning, it’s not half bad.” 

As the only other ‘grandfather’ in the group Ducky had to agree, watching Victoria grow up, no matter what stereotypes were associated with the word Grandfather, was the greatest joy he had ever known. Although he had never been particularly disappointed with his life his small granddaughter brought a certain joy to it that he had never realized was missing. Watching his best friend experiencing that same thing with the ‘granddaughter’ they shared and his two other grandchildren warmed his heart, he knew how much Gibbs had endured in his life and the agent more than anyone deserved any sliver of happiness life had to offer.

“You wanna come with us, Duck?”

“Ah, no thank you Jethro, I do believe I will just stay here and keep an eye on the children.” Ducky replied.

His eyes were not on the teenagers in the yard but rather on the table of young adults laughing together amicably. It did his old heart good to see them all so happy and carefree, he gave a small wave when Jimmy looked over and shot him a wide smile, he couldn’t help but wonder at how much his boy had grown up in the last fifteen years, gone was the insecure and awkward M.E’s assistant and in his place a still slightly awkward but much more confident Doctor and father. Ducky thanked his lucky stars everyday for his family.

Jack carefully pushed the double stroller across the street and into the park, Ellie, who had decided to tag along was running ahead, chasing after an enthusiastic Victoria while Gibbs kept a slower pace beside her.

“Come on Aunt Ellie!” Victoria called after the older blonde. 

“It’s nice to see everyone relaxing.” Jack commented after a moment of silence.

Gibbs looked over at her almost in surprise but nodded his agreement. It had been one hell of a summer and seeing his team, his family being able to unwind, all together and completely safe, was something he was grateful for. Having Jack walking beside him, smiling softly and making faces down at Morgan was another thing he was thankful for.

He knew that eventually they would have to sit down and actually talk, things had been tense between them over the last month and a lot of questions went unanswered because they were both too stubborn or too afraid to ask them. Today was not the day though, not when the sun was shining and they were enjoying a walk in the park with Ellie and the three youngest members of their family. 

He wasn’t sure when he had begun to include Jack when he thought of his family but now he couldn’t imagine it without her in it. She filled a role that he hadn’t realized was empty, she was his sounding board and his confidant when it came to dealing with his team, with his kids who had their own lives and problems and for some reason thought he was the person to approach about that. She was there when he needed to find a way to deal with Ellie’s crying for Clayton, or the fact that Nick was finding his comfort in the bottom of a bottle too often for his liking or the fact that he still got calls from Delilah far too often to inform him that Tim had been woken out of a dead sleep in a cold sweat. He didn’t know how he would have handled the changes and tragedies of the last year without the woman beside him. He supposed he could have, he had been doing it alone for years after all but with Ducky, his usual sounding board, notably absent he doubted he would have been able to do it as well as he had been.

 

They walked around the park for a few minutes before finding a bench in the shade, both of the twins were asleep in their stroller by that point, past due for their afternoon nap. Gibbs could see Ellie pushing Victoria on the swings about fifty yards away from them, her blonde hair flying as she went higher and higher. 

“Ten years ago did you think this is where you would be spending your weekend?” Jack asked out of the blue. 

“No.” He replied immediately.

He honestly hadn’t had a plan for his life ten years ago. Ten years ago his team had just been broken up, Ziva had been sent home to her father, Tony was Agent Afloat and Tim had been relegated to the basement. He hadn’t realized just how much he had loved every member of his team until they hadn’t been around anymore, he had cared about them and valued them but having them spread around the world had made him realize just how much of a family they had become. 

Looking back and then looking at his life now he was grateful that most of his kids had stayed close to home. He still missed Abby, Tali and Tony more than he cared to admit and on bad nights he had a hard time fighting against tears when he thought of Ziva. Even on those nights though he could remember that Tim and his kids were close by, Jimmy and his family was a ten minute drive from his house and held the same open door policy that he did and Ellie and Nick were never far away either.

“Me either.” Jack agreed.

He thought she would push him but she didn’t, she let the conversation drop as she looked around the park seemingly content in the silence that fell over them. They remained seated for another ten minutes until Morgan began whimpering ing the stroller.

“I’ll do a lap.” Jack offered.

“I can go with you.”  
“No, you stay and keep an eye on those two.” She replied, nodding towards Ellie and Victoria who were now playing on the slides. 

Gibbs nodded and watched her wander off with the twins, he knew she was probably looking for a bit of alone time, when they were all together their family could be a bit overwhelming, especially for someone relatively new. His eyes roamed around the park, taking in the kids playing, the couples strolling and the people walking their dogs. 

He watched Jack make her way over to Ellie and Victoria, they exchanged a few words before Jack dropped down to play in the sand with Victoria while Ellie walked back over to Gibbs with the twins. He slid over on the bench to give Ellie room to sit beside him.

“Havin’ fun?” 

“Yeah.” 

He looked over at her, she had a small smile on her face but he could see a lingering sadness in her eyes. He was worried about her, he knew Jack and Tim were too but no one had any idea how to approach it. He shifted and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, he didn’t pull her against him, simply left his arm around her to let her know she had support if she wanted it. 

“You wanna talk about it?” 

“Not yet.” She replied quietly, “I just want to have a nice day today.” 

He nodded and squeezed her shoulder, he understood her desire to just have one day to enjoy herself after the last two months of hell they had been through but he also needed her to know that she had people to lean back on when she was ready to talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there, whether you’re a biological, adopted, fur or foster mother or anything in between I hope you had a fantastic day! I own nothing but I absolutely love to hear from all of you! Your reviews make my day and always encourage me!


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Nineteen

Jack looked up and offered Gibbs a grateful smile as she accepted the plate of food he handed her, Morgan was seated in her lap and she had been too busy feeding the baby to get her own plate.

“This looks amazing, thank you.” 

“Welcome.” Gibbs replied.

He dropped down into the seat beside her and gave Morgan’s nose a gentle tap, the baby offered him a toothless grin and made a grab for his finger. 

“Want me to take her so you can eat?” 

“I’m okay, thanks.” Jack replied, “you go ahead and eat and then we’ll trade off.” 

Gibbs nodded and took a bite of his burger, he had to admit that Jimmy could make a mean burger. Jack shifted the baby in her lap and managed to take a bite of her own burger and rolled her eyes back and moaned at the taste. 

“This is amazing.”

Gibbs smirked at her response and reached out to brush a crumb off of her cheek without thinking, he froze when Jack’s eyes widened in surprise. His hand stilled against her cheek and he gently moved his thumb to brush the crumb off.

“You had a crumb.” He explained quietly.

The moment was broken when Emily bounded over, Gibbs quickly removed his hand and looked up at his niece with a raised eyebrow. 

“Most people say hi instead of just raising an eyebrow in greeting.” Emily rolled her eyes.

Gibbs only raised his eyebrow further and waited for Emily to continue. 

“I can see why you infuriate so many people.” Emily stated, “it’s a good thing I love you.” 

“Is there something you needed?” Gibbs finally asked. 

“For you to work on your social skills.” Emily quipped, “but that’s not why I came over here. I found these the other day and I thought you might want them.” 

He but down his food and wiped his hands before accepting the small stack of photos from her hands. 

“I meant to give them to you last time I was at your place but I forgot and didn’t know when I’d see you next.” She explained.

Gibbs looked down and felt like his breath had been stolen. The first picture in the stack was over seventeen years old, an almost newborn Emily was nestled in the arms of a familiar redhead, he was standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist smiling down at the baby in her arms.

“I always loved that picture of you and Aunt Jenny.” Emily commented, “you both looked so happy.” 

Gibbs swallowed hard and nodded before flipping to the next picture, that time he actually felt the physical pain as he looked at Ziva, dressed in a baggy t-shirt and PJ shorts. She was seated on his couch her legs tucked under her looking at something off camera with a wide smile on her face. The next picture had been taken the same night but this time Gibbs was in the photo as well, his feet were up on the coffee table and he had an arm around Ziva, she was tucked against his side and her head was thrown back in laughter

“I made extra copies of those two and sent them to Tony.” Emily said, “I took those when Dad was out of town, Ziva was spending the night because her water was out or something and she wanted to study for her citizenship test.”

He remembered the night well, it was the first time he had seen Ziva truly peaceful after Somalia, it had been the best night he’d had in years just to be able to see her happy. Her hair was loose and wild around her shoulders in a way it hadn’t been in over a year and Gibbs could remember commenting on it. He’d liked it when she wore it that way, it had always reminded him of the Ziva who had shown up in a blaze of sarcasm and wit, the Ziva who had loved Jenny as much as he and Ducky had and made their family complete. The Ziva who had been there for him in a way no one else had known how to when he had been in the hospital after his coma. Now it reminded him of Tali and her wild curls, and the way she looked more and more like her mother everyday. It reminded him of the loss her absence brought to their family.

He flipped to the final picture in the small stack and smiled fondly, the fondness was accompanied by a familiar pain and guilt but they weren’t as overpowering as they used to be. They were worse when he looked at Emily but the teen was wearing a happy smile as she looked at the picture, there was a bit of sadness in her eyes but she seemed otherwise okay. 

“This has always been one of my favourite pictures of Mom.” 

The picture had been taken after the case involving Diane’s ex-boyfriend, the entire thing had been a disaster and had left Gibbs completely exhausted. Emily going missing had almost broken all three of them and having the drama of Tobias and Diane’s relationship thrown in hadn’t done anything good for anyone. The four of them had gone to the dinner for breakfast, as an additional peace offering to Gibbs. He couldn’t remember how he and Diane had ended up next to each other in the booth or how they had ended up taking the picture but it was one of his favourites of them together. His arm was loosely around Diane’s shoulder and her head was against his shoulder, both of them had wide smiles on their faces and Diane’s eyes were dancing with mischief.

“That was when Mom and Dad wanted your blessing, wasn’t it?” Emily asked.

“Yeah.” Gibbs replied, brushing his thumb over the picture, “that was the night after the broke into my house with a bottle of bourbon.”

“It’s not breaking in if you never lock the doors.” Emily pointed out, “and besides it was technically Mom’s house at one point too.” 

“You sure you don’t wanna be a lawyer?” Gibbs asked, raising his eyebrow at his niece.

“Nope, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be welcome home for the holidays if I was a lawyer, you and Dad are pretty strict about that.” 

“I think we could make an exception.”

“Nah, I’ll stick with Biology, Jack and I both like where we are now, the school is great and only living a few minutes apart is nice.” 

“You gonna bring him home for Thanksgiving this year?” Gibbs asked.

“Probably, we spent last Thanksgiving with his parents and we had Easter with them too, this year we’ll be home with you and Dad.” Emily replied with a small shrug, “it might get a bit confusing though.” She added with a smirk, nodding towards Jack.

“I’m sure we’ll figure something out.” Gibbs assured her, “specially if your serious about this boy.”

“We’ve been together for over two years Uncle Gibbs.” Emily rolled her eyes, “I let him meet you two, I think I’m pretty serious about him.” 

“You’re eighteen.” Gibbs reminded her.

“And Shannon was seventeen when you two met and you were married by the time she was twenty.” Emily pointed out, “and Mom wasn’t all that old when you two got married.”

“You really wanna use that as an example?” Gibbs asked with a raised eyebrow, Emily knew how things had ended between him and her mother.

“Touché.” Emily conceded. 

Jack laughed and shook her head at the two of them, she had seen the flash of hurt on Gibbs’ face when Emily had mentioned not only Shannon but her mother as well. She had read the report on Diane Sterling’s death but she didn’t really know any of the more personal details surrounding everything that had happened. 

“But you guys did end up staying friends.”

“Took us a long time to get there.” Gibbs reminded her, “things are good between you and Jack?” He asked, changing the subject back to her.

“Things are good.” Emily replied with a nod, “he’s my best friend.” 

Gibbs gave a barely there smile and nodded, he both loved and hated watching his niece grow up. In his mind she would always be the same baby that had been in the picture with him and Jenny, she would always be his little girl but at the same time he was painfully familiar with what the opposite of growing up was and because of that he cherished every milestone he got to watch her achieve. He had been cautious but open when he had met her Jack for the first time and he even grudgingly admitted that he had like the young man but watching her get so serious about him, so serious so young, terrified him. 

“As long as you’re happy.” He finally replied.

“I am.” She promised, “I am my mother’s daughter after all, if he didn’t make me happy or treat me right I wouldn’t keep him around. We have our bad days, everyone does, but like I said, he’s my best friend.” 

“Alright.” Gibbs replied, “just wanna see you happy, Em.” 

“I know.” Emily nodded, “and I am and now if you’ll excuse me I am also pretty hungry.” 

Gibbs tried to hand her back the photo’s but she shook her head.

“No, I made copies for myself, you can keep those ones.” 

He watched Emily walk away and carefully tucked the pictures back into their envelope, he knew Emily’s heart had been in the right place, she wasn’t like him or Tobias, she liked to talk to remember the people she had lost. She could smile through the sadness when she looked at old pictures and she occasionally felt the need to include either himself or Tobias in the memories. Looking at old pictures just made him want to drown himself in bourbon and seclude himself in his basement for an undetermined amount of time.

“You okay?” Jack asked quietly.

Gibbs swallowed and nodded, “yeah, I’m good.” 

It had hurt for a moment but looking at the baby in Jack’s lap and the rest of his family milling about the Palmer’s backyard he couldn’t stay sad for long, not when he had so much to be grateful for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TONIGHT WAS A WILD RIDE AND I AM NOT OKAY PEOPLE, I REPEAT NOT OKAY…. Alright I’m fine now… sort of… anyway here’s another feel good chapter and because of the turn tonights episode took right at the end I think I’m going to change directions a little bit but fear not it will be fantabulous… This story will follow through the episodes (and moments off camera and in between) for Season 16! I hope everyone enjoyed but please remember I own nothing… NOW, quite a lot of people have been asking for smut and while I have absolutely no objection to it I am not skilled at actually writing it HOWEVER I do have a friend who has agree to ghost write any smutty scenes if that is something you guys are interested in (obviously not for awhile since they’re not together right now but like in the future) Leave your opinions in the comments and I’ll let you guys decide how we want to handle that… Okay I’m done rambling, have a great week everyone!
> 
> ~Katie


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set during 16.02 ‘Love Thy Neighbour’

Twenty

Jack stepped onto the elevator and raised an eyebrow at the other occupant already on board.

“You’re not supposed to be back for a few weeks.” She stated.

“I know.” He agreed, “but I wanted to make sure the agency actually survived Gibbs’ reign and that you weren’t all lying to keep me calm.”

“We’re still standing.” She pointed out, gesturing around the elevator, “I understand why you wanted to come in.”

“I wanted to talk to you too.” He added.

“We were together most of the weekend.” She reminded him, “We had breakfast Saturday and spent yesterday together.” 

“But we had company for both occasions.” He replied giving her a pointed look.

“And by company you mean Gibbs.” She surmised.

“I do.” He agreed, “something I should know about, Jack?” 

“Are you asking as my boss or as my friend?”

“Does my response to that change your answer?” Leon asked.

“No.” Jack replied, “There is nothing going on between us.”

“You were looking pretty cozy on Saturday morning, and Kayla may have mentioned that you were sharing a bed while the kids were with you.” 

Jack leaned forward and hit the emergency stop button, even though she was the one who had initiated the stop her heart raced for a moment at the idea of being trapped before the reasonable part of her mind shoved the panic away.

“I can promise you that there is nothing going on between Gibbs and I, we were sharing a bed because I didn’t want him to have to sleep on the couch and we are both adults.” She stated calmly, “We’re friends and nothing more.”

“You and I,” he gestured between them, “are friends, I don’t know what you and Gibbs are but you’re not just friends.”

“Leon…” She warned.

He raised the hand that wasn’t holding his cane in surrender.

“Fine, fine I’m letting it go, can you grab a few things out of my office for me?” He asked, reaching forward to press the emergency stop switch.

“Sure,” she agreed, “are you going to say hi to the team?”

“No, not today.” He replied.

She understood how he was feeling and didn’t press the matter as the elevator doors opened in front of them.

N*C*I*S

Jack looked up from her computer with a raised eyebrow when Gibbs walked into her office and dropped onto her couch.

“So I heard your latest case is taking place in a cul-de-sac.” Jack said, folding her hands and resting her chin on them.

“Yup.” Gibbs replied.

“I love cul-de-sacs.” She informed him, “they’re like a psychological playground.” 

Gibbs snorted and raised an eyebrow at the excitement in her voice, he loved the way she found the most mundane things fascinating. She could bring excitement to literally anything with her enthusiasm, and although she was upbeat and generally cheerful around people she wasn’t draining on him, she didn’t expect him to share her enthusiasm or excitement and was happy if he simply listened to her. Listening was his specialty but he genuinely enjoyed listening to her talk about whatever caught her fancy. 

He looked down when his cellphone vibrated and answered it.

“You wanna take a field trip?” He asked, standing up after he hung up his phone.

“Always.” She replied, shutting down her computer, “where are we going?”

“A cul-de-sac.” 

He snorted when he heard her whispered ‘yes’ behind him as she locked up her office, he was silently pleased that he had managed to make her happy with such a small thing. She followed him into the elevator and then out into the parking lot, slipping on her sun glasses while they walked.

“It’s a gorgeous day out.” She commented. 

“Yeah.” Gibbs agreed, glancing over at her. 

She caught him looking at her and raised an eyebrow, “what?” 

“Nothin’.” He replied with a shrug, “like that colour.” He added after a moment, nodding to her dress.

He decided that navy blue was his new favourite colour, he had seen her wearing it a few times before but it never failed to surprise him how good she looked in it. Judging by the baffled but slightly pleased look on her face she hadn’t been expecting the compliment but had enjoyed it none-the-less.

N*C*I*S

“Did you notice anything about Torres?” Gibbs asked on their drive back to the Navy Yard. 

“He seemed off this morning.” Jack replied, “I know he broke his sunglasses when he came in this morning but I can’t imagine that has anything to do with it.” 

Gibbs nodded but didn’t say anything.

“Are you worried about him?” Jack asked after a few minutes of silence.

“Don’t know.” Gibbs replied with a shrug, “been a long summer, might just need a break.” 

“Have him talk to Ducky, if you’re worried.” She suggested, “I could try talking to him but I don’t think it’s going to go well.” 

“I’ll try Duck first.” Gibbs agreed, “but if that doesn’t work…”

“I’ll talk to him.” She offered.

“Thanks.” Gibbs replied, his eyes not straying from the road.

N*C*I*S

“So Nick and Jimmy are having a guys night?” Jack asked, popping a fry into her mouth. 

“Apparently.” Gibbs replied, his voice revealing exactly what he thought of the idea.

“Come on, it’s probably not a bad idea, both of them could use some time to relax.” Jack reasoned, stealing another fry from the container on the coffee table, “just like you should be sleeping instead of eating fries with me.” 

“You should be sleeping too.” He pointed out.

She gave him a pointed look and he shrugged, neither of them were huge on sleep, she was planning to grab an hour or two of sleep on the couch after they were done reading over the profiles she had put together of all of Mooney’s neighbours. They had gone to Gibbs’ house to work, a change of scenery and something more relaxed had been needed after an incredibly long day but neither had been ready to stop working on the case. 

She was curled up on the couch, her feet tucked under her and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders with a file open in her lap. Much more comfortable than she would have been in her office, Gibbs had a fire going in the fireplace and both of them had changed into more comfortable clothes, yoga pants and a sweatshirt for her and track-pants and a black t-shirt for him.

“You seein’ anything weird?”

“I’m seeing a lot of weird.” Jack replied with a small laugh, “this is… a whole new level on the weirdness scale.”

Gibbs chuckled and took a swig of his beer, his fries long forgotten on the coffee table. He looked up with a raised eyebrow when his cellphone started to ring. Jack pulled the blanket tighter around her and watched as he answered the phone, he quickly went from concerned to ticked off and she couldn’t even begin to guess what had happened.

“Torres and Palmer got arrested.” He said when he hung up the phone.

“Arrested?” She asked in surprise.

“Yup.” He replied with a sigh, “guess a guys night out wasn’t such a good idea after all.”

“I’m sure they have a good explanation.” She reasoned.

“Better be the best damn explanation they’ve ever given.” Gibbs said standing up and tossing the file he had been reading on the table, “Breena’s gonna kill Palmer when she gets home, she’s been gone less than twenty-four hours and he’s in jail.” 

“Do you want me to go with you?” She asked as he pulled on his coat.

“Nah, not gonna give em’ a reason to talk.”

She nodded her agreement, it would be weird if they showed up together at the police station at three am when any other reasonable person would be sleeping. It would look too much like something it definitely wasn’t.

“I can head home then.” She said, moving to stand up.

“Just stay.” He replied quickly, “if you want to, I mean, guest bed is made up and you weren’t planning on going home anyway.” 

“Alright.” She replied, “can you leave your keys so I can lock up in case I get called out for something.”

He tossed her his house keys and her mind flashed back to almost a year ago when they had done almost the same thing, she could tell by the small grin on his face that he was thinking the same thing.

“Be back in an hour or two.” He called over his shoulder. 

“I’ll be here.” She responded, pulling her blanket back around her before returning to her work.

N*C*I*S

She settled onto her chair and sighed happily as she bit into her donut.

“This is crazy.” Nick stated, his arms up behind his head in a relaxed gesture, “Sloane, I already said I was sorry.”

She rolled her eyes, “come on, Nick.” 

She placed her donut down and brushed off her hands.

“We all saw you last night planning to tear up the town. Was it a fight you were looking for?”

“No that fight found us.” He replied defensively.

“Of course.” She agreed sarcastically, “you found each other, and now you’re just apologizing because you don’t want to talk about it.”

“Don’t be passing judgement over here.” Nick replied, “I recall a little bar fight that you got into not too long ago.”

Jack internally bristled but managed to keep her face neutral as she studied the defiant young man in front of her.

“One, I’m not judging. Two that was definitely apples and oranges, and three it kind of makes me uniquely qualified to ask what’s really bugging you.”

“Fine.” He replied leaning forward, “you know what I’m really sick and tired of?”

“Hmm?” 

“Why are people so damn mean? Petty? From those neighbours in their cul-de-sac to those clowns last night, everyone just seems to be…angrier and saying terrible things that they’ve never said before.”

“Fear and anxiety are at an all-time high.” She pointed out, “between politics and social media…”

“Why can’t people just be nicer to each other?”

“Like you were last night?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh yeah, well, not to those idiots.” 

“As much as we’d all like to we can’t just go around punching people into being nicer.”

“Why not? I can be like the…” He leaned back again, “the kindness bully.”

“But first maybe try to be a bit kinder to yourself.” She suggested, “because usually underneath that sort of anger and rage is a lot of pain… I know.”

“Whatever.”

That ticked her off more than she cared to admit.

“Don’t blow me off.” She ordered gently.

“I’m not, but you’re just getting all touchy-feely.”

“I know there’s something deeper going on.”

“No.” He replied quickly, “there is not, I got into a fight, that is it. Stop trying to make it into something it isn’t. If you don’t like it, just send me home.”

She made a show of considering it for a second before giving a small shrug.

“Fine. Go home.” She ordered.

She stood up and opened her office door.

“You can’t send me home.” He argued with a chuckle.

“Oh, I believe I just did.” She countered, gesturing to the door. 

She watched him process her response for a minute before he stormed out of her office, she watched him go before shutting the door behind him. The door remained shut for all of two minutes before Gibbs appeared, coffee in hand.

“You sent him home?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“He wouldn’t talk.” She replied with a shrug, “there’s something going on with him but I have no idea what.” 

“He’s pissed.” 

“Yeah, I got that when he stormed out.” She agreed, “I feel like I just grounded him.” 

Gibbs snorted and nodded.

“Gonna guess that that’s how he feels too.” Gibbs replied, “I’ve gotta get down to interrogation, come watch?” 

“Yeah, give me a minute, I’ll be right down.”

She cast a glance towards her discarded donut.

“Just eat it while you walk!” Gibbs called over his shoulder.

She looked towards her now empty doorway in surprise and couldn’t fight back a small laugh as she stood up.

N*C*I*S

“Love is blind.” 

Jack looked behind her in surprise, and shook her head, leave it to Gibbs to shock them all with three words. It had been a long night and they were all exhausted and ready to call it quits after their latest case. 

“Hmm. Indeed it is.” Ellie agreed.

“Okay. On that note I am out for a scotch and a shower.” She announced, pushing off of Gibbs’ desk.

She stepped into the elevator and nodded to Tim as he joined her, she made her way out her car and cranked the music as she pulled out of the parking lot. At home she dropped her bags off on the couch and made a beeline for her bathroom, she pulled out her favourite pair of pyjama’s and laid them on the vanity. She took her time in the shower and braided back her hair before pulling on her pyjamas and wandering downstairs to pour herself a glass of scotch. She heard her cellphone ringing and answered it quickly when she realized who was calling, the conversation was short and she hung up just as she heard a quick knock on her front door. She opened it without checking to see who was there, there was only one person who would be visiting at the hour without calling first.

“I thought for sure you would have gone home to your boat.” She stated, stepping out of the way so Gibbs could enter.

“That’s next.” He replied, “Stopped by Torres’ place, he wasn’t there.” 

“He’s with Ellie.” She replied, “She just called me to let me know that he’s safe, he’s hammered and sad but safe.” 

Gibbs ran his hand over his face with a weary sigh and it didn’t take a PhD for her to see the exhaustion and concern written on his face, clear as day.

“Ellie didn’t say why but she said he talked to her.” Jack told him, “so at least he has someone in his corner.”

“We’re all in his corner, Jack.” Gibbs pointed out.” 

“Yes, we are but you have to remember where Nick came from Gibbs, he’s not used to this concept of your team being your family, hell I get it but pressuring him to talk isn’t going to do anything. If he’s willing to go to Ellie then I say let him.” Jack reasoned, “if she’s okay with it then I say we stay out of it until we need to.” 

“You think there’s somethin’ going on there?” Gibbs asked after a minute, “between Bishop and Torres?” 

“I think we need to stay out of it.” She reiterated, “I don’t think there’s anything going on right now, I think they are two very broken people who desperately need someone to lean on and if they can lean on each other then all the better.”

As she said it two other very broken people came to mind, two people who had been through hell and only had a small handful of friends to lean on, friends who didn’t understand beyond what they had been told of the horrors they had experienced. One person had a family to surround him, to support him but he refused to be a burden on them and the other was alone in the world beyond her best friend and his children. Two broken people who probably never would have found their way together had it not been for one other person who now knew their pain on a personal level. Two broken people who leaned on each other more than either of them cared to admit.

She could tell by the look on his face that his mind was in the same place that hers was in and she gave him a sad smile.

“Everyone has their way of coping.” Jack stated quietly, “if this is how they need to do it then I say we let them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this was actually a fun chapter to write, any recognizable dialogue comes directly from ‘Love Thy Neighbour’ and belongs to NCIS, CBS and DPB. I own nothing and make no profit from it, however I absolutely love to hear from all of you! I hope you all enjoyed and I hope everyone is ready for Tuesday night and a season finale that will no doubt absolutely destroy me…
> 
> ~Katie


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again I am editing this after posting else were so authors notes are the same ones I published originally.

Twenty-One

She missed him. She missed his smug little smirks and the way he popped in and out of her office to ask questions or offer his opinion on their latest case in his customary monosyllabic way. She missed him and she hated herself for it, hated that she had let him get close enough to her that she actually missed him. He had been gone all of two days and she felt like a love sick teenager pining after her boyfriend. Except, she wasn’t a teenager, she wasn’t in love and Gibbs certainly wasn’t her boyfriend. She liked his dependability, the way he made her laugh and the way he helped her to forget the more gruesome parts of their jobs, they were friends and nothing more. She groaned and buried her head in her pillow, she wasn’t fooling herself any more than she was fooling Leon. She may not be in love but there was a part of her, a part that she hated, that had to admit that she did like Gibbs... She couldn’t pinpoint when he had wormed his way into her life and subsequently her heart but there he was smack dab in the middle of it with his steely eyes that twinkled and danced when he laughed and his stupid lopsided grin. She hated herself and she hated him.

Except she didn’t and that was the whole problem, he would be back in the office tomorrow and she wasn’t ready to see him. Nothing had changed between them, they were still nothing more than friends but him going on his little woodland adventure had made her realize just how much his presence affected her day. It would be fine if he ruined her day, if the thought of him returning filled her with anger and dread... Instead it caused her stomach to do a small flip and her heart to flutter just a bit too fast. 

She knew they would have to talk sooner rather than later, they were tiptoeing around the line of friends or more, they had been for months... Since she had kissed him that night at the beginning of the summer, she had no idea what she had been thinking except that his eyes had looked exceptionally blue and that she felt safe in his arms while chaos reigned around them. There had been a tension surrounding them since that night, not anything obvious to anyone else but definitely a small strain on their usually easy going friendship. She had been awake for the last few hours agonizing over, and hating herself, for these feelings that didn’t quite come out of nowhere but were none-the-less surprising in their intensity. 

N*C*I*S

Jack bit her pen and blinked a few times as she listened to the tape recordings, she had finally fallen asleep just after two in the morning, she had managed to get three hours of sleep. She was lucky that the tapes were fascinating to listen to. They were fascinating for her as a Doctor, as a Veteran with PTSD, they were a bit more difficult and there were a few times where she visibly flinched when the gunfire or bomb blasts in the background brought back all too familiar memories of her own war. 

She looked up when she felt another presence in the room and smiled when she saw Gibbs striding in like he owned the place. She reached down and paused the old machine before looking up at him.

“Hmm, that’s a beauty.” He commented, nodding down at the cassette player on her coffee machine.  
“Yeah, right?” She responded, “I dug it out of our old technology graveyard downstairs. Oh! I found a phone for you down there too, if you ever want to upgrade.” 

“Yeah.” Gibbs said, sighing as he sat down, “What’re you thinking?” 

That I really missed that grin. She responded mentally.

“Uh, I’m starting from the beginning, listening to them in order.” She responded out loud.

“Trying for a read?”

“The lieutenant’s state of mind. So far, he’s not nearly suicidal, but it’s still early on in his second tour. He did two back to back.” 

Gibbs nodded, and reached for one of the vintage cassette reels, he held in his hand and considered it for a moment.

“He had a lot to say.” He commented.

“He was going to be a reporter when he got out.” She informed him, leaning back on the couch with a grin. “These tapes were correspondence with his wife for sure, but he was also doing it to hone his craft. Documenting and interviewing.”

She trailed off when she noticed Gibbs studying her intently, she raised an eyebrow and waited for him to say what he was thinking.

“You got that look, Jack.” 

She tilted her head and took her pen out of her mouth, she gave him a small smirk and raised her eyebrows.

“You know me so well, Gibbs.” 

He offered her a lopsided grin and she felt her heart melt, she quickly diverted her attention away from him and put her glasses back on.

“Just listen to this again, okay?” She said, her voice full of excitement and an underlying hint of nerves.

She pressed play on the tape and studied Gibbs as he listened to the tape, his hands folded in his lap and his shoulders forward listening intently with a small smile on his face.

“The guy laughing with the lieutenant, it’s the same guy who supposedly killed him.” She informed him.

“Ray Jennings.” Gibbs supplied, “They were friends. Claire mentioned that.”

“Yes, but it was much deeper than that. These two had a real bond; they were almost like brothers.” She replied earnestly, “I’m telling you, Gibbs. This does not fit the typical profile of a fragging.

He considered her for a moment before nodding, “maybe it wasn’t.” 

She pursed her lips and nodded, now that they were done talking about the case she was surprisingly at a loss for words. 

“I’m gonna take McGee and go talk to Jennings.” He said, pushing himself up with a small groan.

He made his way to the door and then paused for a moment before continuing on, she watched him go without turning back and went back to her recordings, silently relieved to be alone again. 

N*C*I*S

Jack closed her eyes and gripped the arm of the seat tighter as she listened to the presentation Kasie had put together. She could feel tension radiating off of Gibbs as he shifted in his seat and sat up straighter. She paused the video and raised the curtain, unwilling to make either of them suffer any longer.

“Oy.” She gave a long sigh and crossed her arms in her lap, “Kasie wasn’t messing around with this presentation.” 

Gibbs gave a sigh of agreement, the tension and sadness in the sigh had her leaning forward to rest a hand on his forearm, she could tell he was struggling and she was all too familiar with the feeling.

“You alright?” She asked.

“Yeah.” He replied weakly.

He shifted his arm so her hand was incased in his and twined his fingers through hers, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as he tried to gather his thoughts.

“Different war… Still, it’s… oof.” He took a shaky breath and shook his head with a small mirthless chuckle.

“Me too.” She agreed quietly.

He glanced down and seemed to notice their hands at the same time she did, she cleared her throat and stood up quickly, trying to flee the situation. His hand had been warm and calloused against her small smooth one, the roughness almost comforting but at the sight of it, that innocent gesture that brought them one step closer to crossing the line they were tip toeing around, her fight or flight kicked in and she knew she needed to get out.

“I’ll spare you the rest.” She said quickly, “Turned out okay.”

“Yeah, except it didn’t, Jack.” He replied, his voice harbouring a bit of a bite.

“No. Of course. You’re right, there’s no way Lieutenant Hall wasn’t affected by what he experienced out there. I mean look at us, our hearts were pounding just hearing it. This was Hall’s second to last tape, he was stressed you heard him but he was keeping it together, he wasn’t suicidal.”

“His last tape, he was?” 

“Right.” Jack confirmed, “So the question is, what happened between those two tapes?” 

“The last scout with Ray Jennings.” Gibbs supplied.

“Right, but what happened?” 

She barely got the question out before McGee entered the room, his head in a full swivel trying to survey the changes to the lab.

“Hey. What’s with the…?” He trailed off, “Oh, my God. Why didn’t anyone tell me what’s going on back here? We got a sealed subwoofer with a passive radiator.”

“McGee.” Gibbs interrupted the younger agents geek-out, “the reports.”

“Right.” McGee replied, snapping himself out of it, “Kasie tried to de-mold as best as she could. The JAGMAN was beyond repair, but I was able to read part of the NIS Report of Investigation.”

“Anything?” Gibbs asked.

“Yep, Ray Jennings changed his story.” 

“What do you mean?” Jack asked.

“Well, at first he said he threw the grenade into the lieutenant’s hooch from the outside, at a distance and then later, he said that he was in the actual hooch when he threw it and then ran outside, like Fletcher said.” McGee explained.

“So he was insistent in saying that he did it.” Jack stated incredulously, “Why would he change his story about where he was standing?” 

“You think you can get him to talk?”

“We’ll find out.” Jack said, walking out of the room, leaving the two men behind.

She needed to get out before McGee left and she was forced to be alone with Gibbs.

N*C*I*S

Gibbs raised his sander to the wood in front of him, it had been a long few days and his mind was all over the place. The case itself had been horrifying, a Marine had spent almost fifty years of his life in prison for a crime he hadn’t committed. His own war and subsequent PTSD had been brought to the forefront with Kasie’s video. McGee had taken the case personally, his father on his mind throughout the investigation. Jack had been acting off for the last few days and he couldn’t understand exactly why he’d felt so hurt when she’d stood up and dropped his hand as if she had been burned. The rest of the day had been tense, they had been able to work together but he hadn’t been able to look her in the eye and she had stayed on the opposite side of the room from him.

Everything else aside his mind kept coming back to Jack. Things hadn’t been great between them in awhile, he knew that, he just couldn’t quite understand why. He had been hoping that with Leon’s return would come some sort of normalcy, to some degree they had gotten that but he didn’t know how to approach things with Jack. He hadn’t meant to take her hand in his, it had been instinct really but it had obviously been a mistake. He understood why Jack wouldn’t be interested in an old man like him, there were fourteen years between them, she was gorgeous, funny, smart and most importantly she was full of life. He was… not. He understood why but it didn’t make it hurt any less, especially when he thought about how it might affect their friendship. 

He heard his front door open and close and the sound of footsteps above him. He knew without a shadow of a doubt who it was, but for the first time in a year he wasn’t looking forward to her company, he was dreading it. He heard her at the top of the stairs but didn’t turn around. He continued to sand as her soft steps came down the staircase. 

“Gibbs.” She said quietly. 

The sander stopped sliding against the wood and his shoulders tensed but he still didn’t turn around. He heard her sigh and from experience knew she was running her hand through her hair.

“Gibbs… I’m sorry.” 

Everything in him wanted to quote rule six and brush off the apology completely but he could tell by the tone in her voice that that tactic would not go over well for him. 

“Can you… Please look at me…” She sighed again, more brokenly this time. “Jethro.” 

That made him turn around. She had never used his given name before, she had always called him Gibbs or Cowboy never Jethro. 

“I get it, Jack.” He assured her, “No need to apologize.” 

“What do you get?” She asked, raising her eyebrow and crossing her arms.

“I was outta line today, won’t happen again.” He promised.

“No.” She replied quickly, “it’s not-”

“It’s fine, Jack.” He cut her off, “I shouldn’t’ve crossed that line, I know nothing’s gonna happen.”

She looked at him indignantly and he could see anger flash across her eyes as her shoulders tensed and her arms tightened across her chest.

“You’re an idiot.” She stated, throwing her hands up in frustration. 

He looked at her in confusion, he wasn’t sure what she was upset about now and she didn’t give him time to ponder it before she was across the basement floor. She placed both of her hands on the back of his neck and stood on her tiptoes to claim his lips in a kiss that shocked him so much it took him a moment or two to respond. By the time he realized that he hadn’t responded to the kiss in anyway Jack was pulling back her eyes hurt and her cheeks pink with embarrassment. She opened her mouth to speak but he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, this time putting more than enough effort into the kiss. His hands settled on her hips and he pulled her closer against him while her arms wound around his neck. He backed them up until Jack’s back was against the workbench.

Instinctively she knew what he wanted without him having to ask and she hopped up onto the counter and spread her legs enough that he could stand between them. She had fantasized about what having Leroy Jethro Gibbs standing between her legs would feel like but this was better than anything she could have imagined. He let out a quiet groan as she wrapped one leg around his waist to pull him closer against her. 

He broke his lips away from hers and began kissing a trail down her neck, making sure to catalogue exactly which spots made her squirm. He was rewarded with a quiet moan when he scraped his teeth against her pulse point and he grinned against it as he continued on his exploration. He pulled the collar of her shirt aside and placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder. He looked up when she carefully pushed him back enough to allow room for her hands to come between them and he watched captivated as she unbuttoned her shirt to reveal a white lace bra. It wasn’t anything overly fancy and he had no doubt in his mind that she owned much more… interesting lingerie but in that moment, Jack Sloane sitting on his work bench shirt unbuttoned, chest flushed with a cheeky grin on her face…. Beyond sexy… 

“You just gonna keep looking, or….” She let the question trail off as she raised her eyebrow and bit her lip.

“It’s one hell of a view.” He commented after a moment, his voice lacking its usual confidence. 

Jack smirked and hooked her leg back around his waist to pull him back to her, she felt his hands slide of the bare skin of her sides and couldn’t help but shiver at the sensation. 

Her shiver seemed to make him a bit more aware of where they were and what they were doing as he quickly pulled back nodded towards the stairs.

“If…” He swallowed and tried to remember what it was like to have confidence, “bed might be more comfortable, definitely warmer.” 

Jack nodded and hopped down from the counter. She wasn’t sure how they made it up two flights of stairs without one of them breaking something but they managed and by the time they made it to Gibbs’ room he had lost his polo along the way and was now only in his undershirt and dress pants. His lips never left hers as he backed her up to the edge of the bed, she felt the back of her knees connect with the mattress and paused for a moment. She pulled away from Gibbs and undid the button to her dress pants before slowly letting them fall to the ground, she delicately stepped out of them and kicked them out of the way all the while silently thanking whoever was listening that she had bothered to put on matching underwear. She hadn’t exactly planned on getting naked with Gibbs of all people but now that it was happening she wasn’t about to be the one to stop it. 

If Jack Sloane sitting on his workbench with her shirt unbuttoned was beyond sexy, he didn’t even know how to begin to describe Jack Sloane standing in front of his bed wearing only her panties, bra and an unbuttoned blouse, her hair tangled from where he had run his fingers through it. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, he knew that the next step would be the hardest for her, she was down to her last defence, the only thing between him and the horror’s of her past was a flimsy blouse. He tilted his head and claimed her lips in a slow and gentle kiss, a complete change of pace from earlier, when she relaxed he slid his hands underneath the back of the shirt and slowly up until he reached the clasp of her bra.

“Okay?” He asked quietly, pulling away just enough so that he could see her face.

She swallowed and nodded, she knew rationally that he had already seen the scars but this was different, this was intimate and… More than just her begging for help while she relived the worst time of her life. She was surprised when Gibbs’ hands drifted away from her upper back and slid around to the front of her shirt to push it off of her shoulders.

“You say stop anytime and we stop.” He promised quietly as he dropped a kiss to her neck, “okay?”

She nodded her agreement and hummed quietly as he found her pulse point again. She tensed when she felt his hands rest on her shoulder before gently turning her around. She did everything possible to make sure her partners didn’t see her back, she had mastered the art of keeping attention elsewhere but she knew that wouldn’t work with Gibbs. She wasn’t sure what he was doing in the moments of silence when he turned her around but she certainly wasn’t expecting the gentle kiss he pressed right between her shoulder blades, right in the centre of the mess that was her upper back. 

“You’re gorgeous.” He whispered, kissing a trail up her back to her neck.

She turned back around and grabbed the hem of his white undershirt, she could see a flash of hesitation in his eyes before he slowly lifted his arms to help her. She understood his hesitation as soon as she saw the large scar that ran right down the middle of his chest. There were other smaller scars scattered all over but this one was impossible to miss. She knew what a burden it was to carry a visible reminder of trauma, it was especially hard when other people had to see it. So she didn’t question it, she didn’t offer him a glance that said ‘I’m sorry’ she simply leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the centre of his chest, offering him the same quiet support he had given her not two minutes ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LONG LONG CHAPTER…. I have never written anything remotely steamy before and I have to admit I found this difficult however I really think this is where things would have started between them (Had they been together in canon) Like I said I am not good at writing M-Rated so this is as close to that as I’ll probably get for now I tried my best so I hope everyone at least sort of enjoyed it… Yes they still have to have a conversation and it is coming, in their own sort of way, they need to play the whole ‘wondering’ thing a bit longer…. OKAY LAST NIGTHS EPISODE…. JUST WOW OKAY!?!?!?! It was so perfect from Slibbs to Ellick to Diane and then the ending just… WOW…It’s going to be a long wait until September that’s for sure…. Anyway enough from me, I don’t own anything and any recognizable lines or long strings of Dialogue come directly from the episode Fragments and belong to DPB, CBS and NCIS… I love to hear from you guys so please please review, I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> ~Katie


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Twenty-Two

The bright light streaming through the window was enough to alert Jack that morning had arrived, and it also told her that she had slept in. She knew these two facts without opening her eyes but when she did it took her a moment to remember that she had not spent the night in her own bed, she pulled the blankets tighter around her and slowly rolled over, her brown eyes meeting steely blue on the pillow beside her.

“Morning.” 

His voice was gruff and still laced with sleep and she couldn’t help but think how sexy it sounded on him, she offered him a small, unsure smile.

“Hiya.” 

She didn’t regret it. She could honestly say that given the option she would make the same decision again however she wasn’t sure he felt the same way, he had rules after all and he was a stickler for his rules.

She offered him another small smile when he reached over to brush her hair back from her face, his hand paused before coming to rest on her jaw, his thumb lightly brushing back and forth. The gesture was oddly sweet and she couldn’t stop herself from nuzzling her cheek into his hand happily. She knew Gibbs was a caring guy, he had proven that over and over the night before, in the way he had handled her scars, in the way he had asked her if she was sure she wanted to take that step and in the way he had held her afterwards, silent but so caring. 

“Any regrets?” He asked softly.

She tilted her head and pressed a kiss to his palm before grabbing his hand in hers and pulling it against her t-shirt covered chest.

“None, you?” 

He shook his head in the negative and shuffled closer so he could drop a kiss on her forehead. She smiled happily before resting her head against his bare chest, content to just listen to his heartbeat. They laid in comfortable silence for a few minutes until her bladder very insistently forced her out of bed. In the bathroom she felt her heart swell when she saw the brand new toothbrush waiting on the counter for her, she didn’t know when Gibbs had done it but she appreciated the gesture, no matter how small it seemed. 

She returned to the bed feeling minty fresh and much better, Gibbs excused himself with the promise to return shortly and she crawled back under the covers. She wasn’t normally one to lounge in bed in the morning but she was willing to make an exception and have a lazy Saturday, especially if that lazy Saturday included having one blue eyed, silver haired marine in bed with her. She heard water running off and on for a few minutes before Gibbs rejoined her.

She laughed when he climbed into bed and leaned over her, one arm leveraging him as he pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. She smiled into the kiss and then deepened it, her tongue silently asking for access that he quickly granted, her hand wound around the back of his neck as she pulled him down closer to her, enjoy the press of his body against hers.

Just as she felt his hand playing with the hem of her shirt his cell phone started to ring insistently on the bedside table, he groaned and pulled back reluctantly while she threw her head back against the pillow with a frustrated sigh. She watched him check the caller ID and narrow his eyes.

“This had better be important.” He muttered before pressing the talk button on his cell phone, “what McGee?” 

She couldn’t make out all of the words as Gibbs rolled off of her but she could make out ‘kids gone’, ‘baseball’ and ‘call Jack’. 

“One second McGee.” He ordered.

He carefully covered the speaker on his phone and whispered to Jack.

“Kids wanna do a baseball game in an hour.” He informed her, “wanna go?” 

“To watch or play?”

“Play” 

“Sure, kicking your ass at a sport sounds like a fun Saturday.” She replied with a cheeky grin.

He gently pinched her thigh before bringing the phone back to his ear.

“Yeah, Tim, I’m in... no don’t worry I’ll call Jack... Don’t worry ‘bout that, I got an idea.” 

He hung up the phone after a few more short sentences before turning back to Jack.

“Where were we?” He asked, offering her a grin.

“We were getting ready to go play baseball with your family.” She replied, “as much as I’d like to see what you had in mind for the morning, I want to grab a shower and something to eat quick before we go.” 

“Shower’s big enough for two...” He said slowly.

“Not enough time.” She reminded him, “what idea were you talking about?” She asked, trying to change the subject..

“We’re short a few people for the game, told McGee I could find a few more.” Gibbs replied, “if we go right now and I promise to keep my hands to myself we have time.”

“You’re incorrigible.” She commented, laughing as she rolled out of bed again.

“But that’s not a no!” Gibbs called after her.

“Grab my go bag out of my car, I’ll get the shower started.” She called over her shoulder. 

N*C*I*S

Keep his hands to himself he did not, however he somehow still managed to get them to the field McGee had suggested on time. She smirked when she felt his glare on her and silently adjusted her jacket as she hopped out of the truck. It was a beautiful day for mid October but the wind was still chilly and the only jacket she’d had in her go bag had been an older US ARMY windbreaker that had nearly given Gibbs an aneurism.

“You work for the Navy.” He muttered for the fifth time as she helped him unload supplies from the back of his truck.

“It was the only jacket I had.” She replied patiently.

“I told you to take one of mine.” 

“Yeah because that wouldn’t be completely obvious.” She replied sarcastically.

They hadn’t discussed it but for the time being she wanted to keep whatever it was that was going on between them quiet, at least until they figured out whatever the hell they were.

Gibbs’ team had already arrived and were tossing baseballs back and forth to each other, Delilah sat in the dugout with a clipboard in her lap and was laughing at something Leon had said, Breena and Palmer were chatting on the sidelines both wearing matching jerseys that said Palmer on the back and she couldn’t help but think how cute they were. Jack wasn’t sure who Gibbs had called but it didn’t appear that they had arrived yet, her curiosity was quelled slightly when she saw Tobias’ car pull up, he was driving and Grace was in the passenger seat laughing at something he had said.

“My husband wanted me to let you know that you interrupted a very relaxing Saturday morning, Popeye.” Grace called as she climbed out of the car.

“You coulda brought him.” Gibbs replied unapologetically.

“Baseball isn’t his thing.” Grace replied, waving him off, “he was more than happy to have the morning free to tinker in his garage.” 

“If it makes you feel any better Doc Grace, judging by the hickey on Aunt Jack’s neck Gibbs interrupter her relaxing Saturday morning too!” Kayla called out. 

Jack slapped her hand over her neck and closed her eyes with a sigh. She was going to kill him. How the hell had she not noticed a hickey on her neck... unless he had done it in the shower... She. Was. Going. To. Kill. Him. 

“You shoulda brought the guy.” Tobias commented, “looks like we’re still short a few.” 

Gibbs nodded to the truck pulling into the parking lot.

“No were not.” 

He hadn’t told her who else he had decided to invite but she was pleasantly surprised to see none other than Hollis Mann hop out of the truck, her blonde hair up in a messy bun and a bright smile on her face.

“Jethro I don’t know why you can’t understand that some people like to sleep in on Saturday mornings.” She said good-naturedly. 

Jack watched another person climb out of the car, a taller man with grey hair and a smile that was contagious.

“Not my fault.” Gibbs replied defensively, “McGee was the one who called first.” 

“Thanks for that, Tim!” Hollis called out, waving across the field, “I still can’t get over how much he’s grown up.” She muttered so only the immediate group could hear her, “what happened to the awkward, baby faced little probie?”

“Every once in awhile he pops up.” Gibbs replied, “Good to see you again, Ron.” 

He stuck his hand out to the other man, he had met Hollis’ husband on one other occasion and had liked the man immediately, he had a good sense of humour and hadn’t acted like a jealous jackass over a relationship that had ended years prior like some men might have. He introduced them around, no one had met Ron before and Grace had never met Hollis either.

“So how’re we doing teams?” Torres asked once the introductions were done.

“Jack, Leon, Hollis, Ron, Tobias, Grace and I and then you, McGee, Breena, Jimmy, Bishop, Kayla and Jared.” 

“Are you sure, Boss?” McGee asked, eyeing the group of older adults sceptically.

“He’s right, that hardly seems fair, Jethro.” Hollis added, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

She knew exactly what he was doing, they may not have been as young as they once were but they were still in good shape for the most part and they were damn good at baseball, at least she knew she and Gibbs were.

“We’ll be fine.” Gibbs replied, brushing off McGee’s genuine, and Hollis’ fake, concern.

“Okay well you guys bat first then.” McGee offered.

“Give us two minutes.” Gibbs requested.

The teams huddled up on opposite ends of the field and quickly went over their strategy before Grace took her place at bat. She struck out twice before hitting the ball and making a run for first base, Tobias was up next and managed to get Grace to second base and himself to first base. Hollis stepped up to the plate next and Gibbs had to hide a smirk, he knew Hollis packed a mean swing and had no doubt she would hit it first try, sure enough the ball went sailing and she ran for first base. 

Jack was up next and hit the ball on the first try but it didn’t go as far as she had hoped, she managed to make it to first base but no one else had run so she stood beside Hollis and Ellie who was guarding first base. Ellie wandered to stand between the two bases as McGee retrieved the ball and Gibbs took his place at bat.

“So… Where did that hickey come from?” Hollis asked with a knowing smirk.

Jack felt her cheeks turn rosy as she looked down.

“We’re keeping it quiet… It’s really new.”

She and Hollis had bonded over their time in the army when she had helped them on Leon’s case and she liked and trusted the slightly older blonde.

“Secret’s safe with me… I can’t believe he didn’t have an aneurism over that jacket though.” She added with a small chuckle.

“He almost did.” Jack informed her with a laugh.

Hollis eyed Gibbs as he stepped up to the plate and made a few practice swings.

“You want to see something funny?” Hollis asked, giving Jack a conspiring grin.

“Always.” Jack replied excitedly.

Hollis waited until McGee was winding up to pitch the ball, Gibbs was in his zone she could tell that he was ready for the ball but she quickly put an end to that.

“Hey, Gunny!” She called out, “Anyone ever tell you that you’ve got a cute ass?”

McGee threw the ball just as she finished her sentence and Gibbs missed badly, Jack burst out laughing beside her and she couldn’t stop her smirk.

“That’s about as funny as it was thirteen years ago!” Gibbs called back, glaring at her.

“So it aged well!” She replied, “Kinda like your ass has!”

“Oorah!” Jack called out, offering Hollis a high five. 

“You don’t get to say that while wearing that coat!” Gibbs mock glared at her.

Jack rolled her eyes and waved him off as she looked around and saw Leon smirking, Breena, Jimmy, Kayla, Jarred, Delilah and Ron were laughing openly while Tim, Ellie and Torres struggled to keep a straight face. She knew that there had to be a story behind the interaction and judging by the good natured laughter coming from Ron he knew the story. Gibbs turned around and glared at Ron.

“You knew she was gonna do that.” He accused him good naturedly. 

“She may have mentioned it on the way over.” Ron laughed, shrugging his shoulders.

“We’re all on the same team.” Gibbs reminded them.

“Hey, I’m just trying to make it fair for the kids.” Hollis replied defensively. 

Gibbs rolled his eyes and shook his head with a small chuckle, he was having a good time and he enjoyed seeing Jack laughing and having a good time. It was even better because they were having a good time with their friends and family. He liked that Jack had immediately clicked with his friends and had made them her own. He had liked it when they were just friends and he definitely enjoyed it now that they were more, at least he hopped they were more but only time would tell, for now he would just enjoy the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this literally came to mind this morning while I was watching the scene where Gibbs is teaching Hollis to hit a ball and she comments on his butt throwing him off completely… I couldn’t not write it so here we are… I hope you all enjoyed, please leave a review and let me know what you think! I love to hear from you! Have an awesome weekend everyone! (I own nothing)
> 
> ~Katie


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

Twenty-Three

He expected the back handed slap against his chest and he was bracing for it as soon as the door to the truck closed and they were safely out of view of everyone.

“I can’t believe you left a mark.” She muttered, shaking her head indignantly, “and then didn’t tell me about it.”

“I didn’t see it.” He shrugged, “honestly, Jack.” He promised when she gave him a disbelieving look. 

She studied him for a moment longer before finally nodding, she believed him. She didn’t think he would want whatever they were opened up to the scrutiny of his team just yet anymore than she did, they were just lucky that no one except Hollis and probably Leon had realized exactly where the hickey had come from. She turned her head to look out the window and watched the scenery fly by as she let her mind wander.

Whatever they were, that was the question that terrified her. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Gibbs, she liked him a lot. That had never been in question, the question for her was, was she willing to open herself up even further to him? He already knew one of her biggest secrets and that terrified her, she trusted him with it, she knew he would never tell a living soul but him knowing… He saw her and that scared her more than anything else, he saw her scars both physical and emotional, he knew exactly how she had gotten them, he saw the good, the bad and the ugly and yet he was still there. She depended on him more than she cared to admit and she was afraid of losing one of her best friends if things didn’t work out between them. That’s what it boiled down to really, she was afraid that he would learn the rest of her secrets and bail out or just get tired of her and then where would they be? 

“Jack.” 

His voice broke into her thoughts gently and she glanced over at him, she could see the concern written on his face and offered him a small but reassuring smile.

“You’ve got that look on your face.” He said gently.

He saw her, he saw her and he could read her like an open book and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for that.

“I was just thinking.” She replied quietly.

He raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue, his glaze darting back and forth between her and the road in front of him. 

“You terrify me.” 

He looked over at her in surprise and opened his mouth to respond but she held up her hand to silence him.

“I’m not scared of you.” She clarified, “I know you would never do anything to intentionally hurt me, I just… I don’t want to lose you.” She admitted, her voice barely a whisper.

“I’m not going anywhere.” 

“Maybe not right now.” She allowed with a small nod, “but what about when it gets to be too much, when you don’t want to deal with my baggage anymore?”

“Where’s this comin’ from?”

“What do you mean where’s this coming from?” She asked, giving him a disbelieving look, “we crossed a line last night, Gibbs.”

“And you said you didn’t regret it, did you change your mind?” He swallowed hard as the words left his mouth, he was afraid of the answer she was going to give. 

He pulled into his driveway and unbuckled his seatbelt so that he could face her, blue eyes met brown and he could see the fear in them. He understood it, he didn’t want to lose her either, she centred him, she was one of his best friends and he didn’t want that to just disappear.

“Of course I haven’t changed my mind.” She replied with a small sigh. 

He reached out and grabbed her hand, brushing his thumb across her knuckles.

“Then what’re we doing here?” He asked quietly. 

“I don’t know… I just know that I don’t want to lose my friend.” She replied, “I don’t want this to implode and ruin everything but what happens when you get tired of dealing with all of this?” 

“Jack.” His voice was firm, “whether we stay friends or… something more, I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

“You can’t promise that.” 

“I just did.” He replied as if it was the easiest thing in the world. “We’ve all got baggage, hell you know mine and for some reason you’re still here, you could have anyone you want and you’re sitting her with me.” 

“That would probably be because I want you.” She replied with a small, cheeky grin.

Gibbs snorted and gave her hand a squeeze.

“So what’re we doing then?” He asked again. 

“I can’t… I don’t want this to affect our friendship or work.” 

“Okay.” Gibbs agreed.

“But I don’t want to pretend it didn’t happen either… I just want to see where it goes.” 

“Okay.” He agreed again, “but I don’t share, Jack.” 

He could handle not putting a label on it, he could handle keeping it slow and just going with the flow, he could not handle knowing she was sleeping with other people.

“Good.” She replied as she unbuckled her seatbelt, “because neither do I.” She added, her voice dropping an octave.

She placed a hand on the back of his neck and pulled him forward, his hand tangled into her hair as she deepened the kiss and moaned into his mouth. She pulled back to catch her breath and watched him with lust filled eyes. 

“Take me inside, Cowboy.” She ordered huskily.

N*C*I*S

When she had contemplated what to do with her weekend a few days prior she had never even considered laying, naked, in bed with Leroy Jethro Gibbs at one o’clock in the afternoon on a Saturday but there she was. Her legs were tangled in his and her head was cushioned on his chest, she was tracing idle patterns on his bare-chest with her finger while he ran his hand through her hair. 

“I’m not good at this.” He stated, breaking the comfortable silence. 

“I can assure you that you are very good at this.” She replied with a small laugh.

The sweat was still drying on her skin and her legs still felt weak, as many unknowns as there were in their relationship she knew without a doubt that the sex was absolutely mind blowing, and she didn’t give that kind of praise lightly. 

“Not what I meant.” He replied, “although I’m glad you approve.”

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head and ran his hand over her shoulder.

“What did you mean?” She asked, her fingers toying with the hair on his chest absently. 

“I’m not good at this.” He said again, gesturing between them, “I’m gonna push you away…” 

“I won’t let you.” She replied simply, “Just like you’ve never let me push you away.” 

“I’m a bastard.” He warned her.

“Sometimes.” She replied with a small shrug, “but I knew that going in. I know you, neither of us is great at letting people in but we’ll learn together.” 

He looked down at her in silent amazement and smiled when she pushed herself up to drop a chaste kiss on his lips before laying back down.

“Hollis knows.” She said after a few minutes of silence, “She asked and I told her.” 

“What’d you tell her?”

“That it was really new and to keep it to herself.” She replied honestly, “I trust her not to say anything.”

“Don’t really care if she does.” Gibbs shrugged the shoulder that she wasn’t using as a pillow, “I’m not ashamed.”

“Neither am I, I just want a bit of time to figure this out without Leon or Tobias or your kids offering up their opinions or meddling.” 

“Okay.” He replied, he could definitely understand that. 

He knew his team could be overbearing and if Jack needed a few weeks to get her head on straight then he was more than happy to give it to her, he seriously doubted he could deny her anything at that point. She nuzzled her nose against his chest and sighed contentedly, her hand splayed our over his heart. The moment was interrupted by the ringing of her cellphone on the bedside table and she groaned in annoyance.

“Sloane.” She answered, “okay, I’ll be there in an hour.”

He sighed, his team had been out of rotation for the weekend but he knew she had been on the on call list.

“I have to head into work.” She said with a small sigh.

“You gonna come back here after?”

“If you want me to.” She replied, her voice just this side of shy hopefulness.

“Pack enough clothes for the rest of the weekend and something to wear to work Monday.” 

She raised an eyebrow at him and smirked.

“Big plans, Cowboy?” She asked slyly.

“No.” He replied, “just like havin’ you around.” He admitted quietly.

She wasn’t used to seeing Gibbs hesitant but she could tell that that admission had taken some courage, she dropped a kiss to his chest before rolling over and out of bed. She grabbed his discarded undershirt off of the ground and pulled it over her head, instantly feeling better with her back covered.

“I’ll probably be at least a few hours.” She informed him, “do you want me to grab dinner on my way back?”

“Nah, I’ll make something... unless you wanna go out?” He asked.

He didn’t want her to think that he was hiding her away in his house so no one saw them together, he would be proud to walk into any restaurant with her on his arm, proud and in awe of his good luck. 

“Maybe another night.” She replied, “I’m going to be tired by the time I get back and a night in in front of the fire sounds nice.”

He liked that she didn’t respond with ‘whatever you want’ or ‘you choose’, he liked that she was comfortable enough to tell him exactly what she wanted to do without turning it into a back and forth that would last an hour. He watched her stand up and gather her clothes before slowly getting dressed.

“It’s going to be really hard to make supper if you only have steak sauce in your fridge.” She teased good naturedly. 

“I’ll go do groceries while you’re at work.” He replied with a smirk, “it’ll give me something to do.”

She pulled her messy hair back into a loose bun, and nodded before gathering up the rest of her belongings.

“I’ll call when I leave work.” She said, hesitating slightly.

She was standing close enough to the bed that he could reach over and pull her closer, he tipped his chin up and smiled at when she dropped a light peck on his lips.

“See ya later.” He muttered.

N*C*I*S

Work took even longer than she had expected and it was already 1900 by the time she was able to leave the office, as it was she would be bringing a few files with her to read over for Special Agent Khan’s team. She called Gibbs to let him know that she was leaving and that she needed to stop by her place before she’d be over. She hadn’t had time to pack a bag before going into work so she needed clothes for the next couple of days. 

Every time she thought of Gibbs admitting that he liked having her around she got a stupid little grin on her face that she couldn’t quite control. She knew that feeling wouldn’t last forever, he was a quiet man who enjoyed his solitude and she enjoyed time to herself to recharge as well, they would just have to find a balance between together and apart. 

At her house she threw a few items into a duffle bag, an outfit for Sunday, a change of clothes in case they ended up doing something outside or they ended up doing something with the kids, big or little, and an outfit for work. She looked into her underwear drawer and hesitated for a second before throwing in some lingerie. She finished packing her bag and sent Gibbs a quick text to let him know she was leaving. She knew he probably wouldn’t respond but she was still grateful that Kayla had taken the time to teach him out to use that part of his phone, it made everyone’s lives easier when they didn’t have to actually call him for every little thing. Plus she knew that both Emily and Kayla got a kick out of texting him, even if his responses were minimal. 

When she pulled up in front of Gibbs’ house she was a bit surprised to not see any lights on in the living room. She grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and made her way into the house, letting herself in the unlocked door and locking it behind her out of habit. Upon closer inspection she could see flickering in the dining room and had to wonder if the power had gone out.

“Hey, Gibbs!” She called out.

“In here!” He called back.

It sounded like his voice had come from the dining room and as she rounded the corner, careful not to hit anything in the dark, she couldn’t help a small gasp of surprise as she saw the candle lit table. He had pulled out all the stops and had even put a table cloth out. 

“I had a lotta free time today.” He said with a shrug.

She could tell by the proud little smirk on his face that she had given him exactly the response he had hoped for but was too embarrassed to admit it.

“It looks amazing.” She said softly, “and it smells even better, what is that?” 

“Spaghetti, homemade sauce and garlic bread.” He replied.

“And you cooked it?” She asked with a raised eyebrow, “On the stove and everything?” 

“No fireplace was used in the making of this meal.” He promised, “sit, I’ll bring it in.” 

She took a seat at the table and smiled her thanks when he put a steaming plate of penne noodles covered in an fantastic looking tomato sauce. Her stomach growled and she quickly realized that she hadn’t eaten since the two pieces of toast she’d eaten for breakfast on their way to the ball diamond. Gibbs poured her a glass of wine and placed it beside her before sitting down across from her.

“I even made a salad.” He said proudly. 

“It all looks amazing.” She said again, “Thank you.” She added in a much softer tone. 

She reached out across the table and gave his hand a squeeze, it had been a long time since she had come home to a meal waiting for her, never mind a romantic meal complete with candles and wine… She actually couldn’t remember the last time but she knew for a fact that it was nowhere near as special as this was. She gave Gibbs’ hand one more squeeze before letting it go so she could dig into her food. She gave an appreciative moan as she took the first bite of her pasta. 

“Oh my God…” She muttered.

Gibbs smirked and shook his head at her before tucking into his own food.

“How was work?” He asked between bites.

“Okay, unfortunately I still have a bit to do after supper.” She replied, “It was either that or I wasn’t going to be able to leave until well after 2100.” 

“No big deal, I’ll just work on my boat for a bit.” 

He was just happy having her in the house with him, they didn’t need to be attached at the hip, although he really enjoyed it when they were, he was content to let her do her thing while he did his. Besides after the last few days he really could use a bit of time with his boat, just to centre himself again if nothing else. They ate in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying their food before Jack spoke again.

“What did you do with the rest of your day?” She asked.

“Went and did groceries, made supper, got a bit of work done outside.” He replied with a shrug.

Weekends off weren’t his favourite thing, especially when he didn’t have much going on but they did give him the chance to catch up on things around his house. 

“I have to do a bit more outside tomorrow.” He added.

“I can give you a hand.” She offered.

“Not keeping you here to put you to work.” He replied with a small smirk.

“I know that.” She rolled her eyes with a grin, “but I enjoy being outside and it’s supposed to be nice again tomorrow.” 

“Alright.” Gibbs conceded as he took his last bite of food, “Do you want desert now or later?” He asked.

“You even got desert?” Jack asked in surprise.

“Chocolate cake from a little bakery by the diner.” 

“You’re spoiling me.” 

He shrugged and stood up clearing their plates before returning to the dining room.

“Honestly I’m too full right now to eat another bite.” She admitted.

“Do you want a coffee?” 

“That sounds fantastic.” She replied happily, “I’ll give you a hand cleaning up and then go and finish up what I need to for work.” 

“Don’t worry about cleaning up.” He replied dismissively, “I got most of it done already.” 

“Gibbs you made supper the least I can do is clean up.” She protested. 

“The sooner you get your work done the sooner we can enjoy our night.” He reminded her. 

“Alright, alright.” She said, raising her hands in defeat, “thank you for supper.”  
She leaned up on her tiptoes and brushed a kiss across his lips, grinning when he grabbed onto her hips and tired to deepen the kiss.

“Work first.” She muttered, drawing back with a few light pecks, “then I’m all yours, Cowboy.” 

He sighed playfully and lightly nipped at the side of her neck before releasing her.

“Fine.” He replied, “do you want me to start a fire?” 

“I think I can handle it.” She called over her shoulder.

“Are you going to burn down my house?”

“Probably not.” She called back nonchalantly. 

He smirked and turned to the dishes in front of him, he could get used to having her around. It wasn’t the first time she had stayed at his place and he certainly hoped it wouldn’t be the last but it was different this time. There was no case, no underlying tragedy that brought her to him for safety or solace, she was there just because she wanted to be and he liked that. He finished the dishes in under ten minutes before peeking in on her in the living room. 

She was seated on the couch, the blanket that had taken up permanent residence in a basket beside his couch wrapped tightly around her shoulders, there were files spread out in front of her on the coffee table and her laptop was open in her lap, her black glasses were perched on the end of her nose and she was chewing on her thumb nail. He would never admit it out loud, for fear of losing his life, but he always thought it was adorable when she did that. He went back into the kitchen and poured freshly brewed coffee into a mug that had way to much sugar in it for his taste. He was sure that if any self-respecting Marine saw him making coffee that way he’d get his ass kicked but he was willing to risk it for Jack, who lit up when he handed her the mug, her smile brightening even further when she tasted it. 

“This is perfect.” 

“It should be, half a cup of sugar in there.” He exaggerated.

She laughed and placed the mug down on the coffee table, “thank you.” 

“You’re welcome.” He replied, dropping a kiss on the top of her head, “I’ll be down in the basement if you need anything.” 

“Okay.” She replied absently, her attention had already returned to whatever was on her laptop screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed, please leave a review and let me know what you think! I love to hear from you! Have an awesome weekend everyone! (I own nothing)
> 
> ~Katie


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

Twenty-Four

Gibbs worked on his boat for close to an hour before he made his way back upstairs to check on Jack. He grinned at what he found in his living room, her laptop was closed on the coffee table, her glasses were sitting on top of it and she was curled into a ball on her side passed out cold, her wavy blonde hair fanned out underneath her. He debated waking her to move her into bed but she looked so peaceful that he left her, he would let her sleep for another hour and then wake her up. 

He made sure her blanket covered her and then made his way back down to the basement, he poured himself a small amount of bourbon and went back to work on his boat. He heard footsteps on the ceiling above him about half an hour later and grinned when Jack appeared at the top of the stairs, she still had the blanket wrapped around her shoulders and he could tell by the look on her face that she was still half asleep.

“I fell asleep.” She muttered.

“I know.” Gibbs replied with a smirk, “I saw, did you get everything done?” 

She nodded as she covered her mouth and yawned before pulling her blanket tighter around her shoulders.

“You ready for bed?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“No, just give me a few minutes to wake up and then I’m all yours.” 

Even as she said it she yawned again and Gibbs shook his head. 

“Come on, it’s been a busy day, I’m ready for bed.”

He could probably stay up for another few hours and the idea of spending those few hours with her was really appealing but he could see the exhaustion on her face and he would be just as content to lay in bed with her. He downed the last mouthful of his bourbon and made his way up the stairs, he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently steered her up the stairs, turning off the basement light as he went. 

“Go on up.” He said quietly, “I’ll be up in a minute.” 

He watched her silently debating whether to argue with him for a moment before giving up and making her way upstairs. He made sure that both doors were locked and that everything was turned off and secure before making his way upstairs. He had heard the water running while he had been locking up and wasn’t surprised to see her wandering out of the bathroom in PJ bottoms and a t-shirt. Her eyes were still droopy and he smiled at her sleepiness. 

“I’m just gonna brush my teeth, I’ll be out in a minute.” 

“M’kay.” She replied. 

He watched her crawl into what had quickly become her side of the bed and curl up with a tired sigh, he grabbed a clean t-shirt and boxers and made his way into the bathroom. Her makeup bag was on the floor and her toothbrush was on the edge of the sink, two small things that made him smile. He quickly brushed his teeth and changed before going back into his room. He crawled into bed and shuffled over when Jack rolled over and wrapped her arm around his waist.

“Thank you again for supper.” She muttered, “I’m sorry I wasn’t better company, I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.” 

Those words were enough to get his mind wandering to dangerously inappropriate places but he quickly shut it down and dropped a kiss to the side of her head.

“This is just as good.” He whispered, even though he knew she was already dead to the world.

N*C*I*S

She woke up out of a dead sleep with tears streaming down her face, she knew she hadn’t been thrashing around and that she hadn’t called out because Gibbs was still sleeping soundly beside her. She took a deep breath and tried to centre herself but found it impossible to do in the dark room. The curtains were open but she could hear rain hitting the window and the master bedroom overlooked the backyard so there was no light from the street. 

She couldn’t remember exactly what the nightmare had been, she had no doubt it was the usual run of the mill stuff that terrorized her dream world but for the life of her she couldn’t recall what it had been. Those were almost worse than her usual nightmares because whatever it was would probably come back to her in flashes over the next few days at the most inconvenient times. 

She knew one thing for sure, she needed to get out of the darkness and soon or she was going to have a full blown panic attack. She peeked over her shoulder to Gibbs who was still sleeping soundly before using every trick she had learned in the military to roll out of bed silently. She held her breath for a second but exhaled when Gibbs didn’t wake up. She grabbed her phone off of the bedside table and crept out of the room and down the hallway. 

In the living room she turned on both lamps and settled onto the couch. She swiped at her cheeks and brought her knees up against her chest, both to make herself feel more secure and for warmth. The blanket that was normally beside the couch was missing and she quickly remembered that she had brought it up to bed with her. She rested her chin on top of knees while she tried to focus on her breathing.

Upstairs Gibbs stretched his arm out to Jack’s side of the bed, he was drifting in and out of a light doze and he wasn’t sure what had brought him out of his surprisingly deep and peaceful sleep. The content, sleepy feeling disappeared as he realized Jack’s side of the bed was empty. His mind immediately jumped to the worst case scenario, something had happened, she had woken up and realized she had made a mistake and had left, he tried to calm those thoughts, maybe she had gone to the washroom or to the kitchen to get a drink. 

He decided that it was no use laying there wondering, it would be quicker and much more effective if he just got up and went to look for himself. He rolled out of bed and went to look for her, the door to his bathroom was open and no one was inside so he went towards the staircase. Standing at the top of the stairs he could see light streaming out of the living room. He was positive he had turned off the lights before going to bed so he carefully made his way downstairs.

He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting to find but Jack, on the couch with her knees pulled against her chest and her face buried between her knees and folded arms was definitely not even in the realm of what had entered his mind. He hesitated in the threshold for a moment before tentatively stepping into the room, he cleared his throat so she was aware of his presence. He wished he had done something else when her head snapped up and she looked at him with a look of fear that quickly turned into a look of defeat. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were tearstained but she tried to force a tired smile onto her face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” She whispered. 

“It’s okay,” He replied with a shrug, “you didn’t.”

He took a seat next to her on the couch but didn’t touch her, he had his suspicions about why she was crying in his living room at three in the morning but until he knew for sure he didn’t want to risk making it worse by touching her.

“Nightmare?” He asked quietly.

She nodded tightened her arms around her knees. He hated how helpless he felt, he had seen her have a nightmare before, it wasn’t completely new to him but he had never seen her like this. 

“I’ll be fine.” She said, “I really didn’t mean to wake you up, go back to bed.”

“Are you gonna come back up?” 

She looked down and shook her head, her cheeks colouring slightly.

“No… I think I’m just going to stay down here.” She looked over at him and hesitated for a moment before sighing, “I don’t like the dark.” She admitted quietly.  
Thinking back he vaguely remembered seeing a nightlight in her bedroom the one time he had stayed at her house and he made a mental note to go and get a few the next day. For the moment though he stood up and held out his hand, she looked at it skeptically before taking it and stood up on shaky legs.

“I’ve gotta solution.” He informed her. 

She followed him up the stairs and watched as he turned on the hallway light before leading her into his room, he didn’t close the door but rather left it wide open.

“Is this okay?” He asked, “I can turn on the lamps if that’s better.”

She had to bite her lip to keep it from wobbling as an overwhelming feeling of being taken care of washed over her. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt that and as she watched the man in front of her she couldn’t help but wonder what she had done to deserve someone like him.

“It’s perfect, but if it’s going to keep you up then I’ll go downstairs.” 

“I’ll sleep just fine.” He promised.

Internally he thought about how he slept better when she was around and the thought of sleeping in his empty bed while she slept, or rather stayed awake, on the couch downstairs seemed like the dumbest thing in the world to him. 

He pulled the blankets back for her and waited until she crawled back into bed before pulling them over her, he made his way back to his side and climbed in. He wanted to reach for her but refrained until she rolled over and curled into his side. He shifted and wrapped his arms around her.

“Wanna talk about it?” He asked against her hair.

“No.” She replied quietly but firmly, “not tonight.” 

“Okay.” He muttered.

He knew what it was like to battle those kinds of demons and he wasn’t about to force her to talk when she wasn’t ready. He began to gently run his fingers through her hair when she didn’t relax after a few minutes. It took awhile but eventually she was lulled back to sleep. He kissed the top of her head and tried to drift off.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed, please leave a review and let me know what you think! I love to hear from you! I hope everyone had an awesome weekend! (I own nothing)
> 
> ~Katie


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five

Twenty-Five

When Jack woke up the following morning she instantly felt guilty and a bit pathetic, the bed was empty and the light in the hallway had been turned off but light was streaming in the window as the sun rose over DC. She hated herself for pulling Gibbs along for the hellish ride that were her nightmares. He had handled it well and so far had adapted to whatever she had thrown his way surprisingly well but she still felt bad nonetheless. He had made her an amazing supper and she had passed out on the couch almost directly after, then she had woken him in the dead of night and he’d had to sleep with the hallway light streaming in, more than likely keeping him awake, because she was a big baby. 

She rolled out of bed and padded into the bathroom, after brushing her teeth and pulling her hair back into a ponytail she made her way downstairs. She found Gibbs seated on the couch, a coffee in one hand and the paper in the other.

“Good morning.” She greeted almost shyly.

“Mornin’.” He replied, offering her a smile, “how’d you sleep the rest of the night?” 

“I slept okay… I’m really sorry I was such a pain in the ass last night.” She dropped down on the couch beside him and pulled her legs under her. 

“You weren’t and don’t apologize, Jack.” He put the newspaper down and placed a hand on her knee, “you weren’t being a pain in the ass, just being human.” 

She placed her hand on top of his and offered him a thankful smile, she knew he wasn’t one to lie to her and she could read him well enough that she knew when he was irritated and he definitely wasn’t. She still felt a bit guilty but she wasn’t about to continue to push the subject when he seemed prepared to drop it.

“Thank you.” 

She gave his knee a gentle squeeze and leaned back against the couch.

“I seem to remember something about making going to bed early last night up to you this morning…” She ran her hand up his thigh and watched him close his eyes for a second.

She used that to her advantage and shifted, she threw on leg over his lap and within seconds was straddling him with a grin on her face. His eyes shot open in surprise as his hands automatically settled on her hips.

“So…” She trailed off, bitting her bottom lip, “I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to make it up to you.”

“Yeah?” Gibbs asked with a raised eyebrow. 

She rocked against him and smirked when he groaned low in his throat, she could feel him underneath her and knew that he was definitely getting interested whatever she was talking about even if he was doing his best to pretend otherwise. 

“I think I have a better idea.” He said before she could respond.

She shrieked and laughed loudly when he flipped them around so that she was laying on the couch underneath him while he kissed a path down her neck. 

“I don’t see how this is making it up to you.” She said as she felt his hands slide under her shirt.

“Trust me,” He paused what he was doing and looked up at her, “it is.”

She snorted at his impish grin and carded her fingers through his hair as he moved lower. 

N*C*I*S

Jack felt Gibbs’ hand settle on her back as he followed her up the steps of the diner, she rolled her eyes when he reached over her to open the door but couldn’t help a small smile at his actions. As long as it wasn’t overbearing and overprotective she didn’t mind a little bit of chivalry every once in a while. 

“Well good morning!” Elaine greeted them as they walked into the bustling diner, “I was starting to wonder what happened to you two.”

“Busy couple of days.” Jack replied with a kind smile.

“I can only imagine.” Elaine replied empathetically, “are the kids joining you?”

“Just the two of us.” Gibbs informed her.

He chose to ignore the slight smirk on Elaine’s face.

“No kids and no grandkids?” Elaine asked in shock, “how’d you pull that one off?” 

“We didn’t tell them we were going out.” Jack replied, holding her finger up to her lips, “our little secret.”

“You got it.” Elaine promised, “go ahead and grab a table I’ll be right over with coffee.” 

Jack followed Gibbs to the booth at the far end and slid in across from him, she grabbed the sugar container and pulled it closer to her.

“I can feel the judgement radiating off of you, Cowboy.” 

He didn’t get a chance to reply before Elaine appeared at the table, a tray with coffee and water in her hands and menus tucked under her arms.

“Here we are.” She said happily, “I’ll give you two a few minutes.” 

Jack watched her leave and poured a more than generous amount of sugar into her coffee before taking a sip and sighing contentedly. She looked across the table and was surprised to see Gibbs’ studying her intently, his coffee sitting untouched in front of him. She raised an eyebrow and when he didn’t respond to that she reached across the table and tapped the top his hand to break him out of his trance. He shook his head almost as if he had to physically break his train of thought and surprised her again by taking her hand and tangling their fingers together. 

“Are you feeling okay?” She asked skeptically.

Gibbs was rarely spacey and he definitely wasn’t one for public displays of affection, she had to wonder for a moment if she had woken up in an alternate universe or if she was having some sort of weird dream. 

“Fine, why?” 

He took a sip of his coffee and looked at her like she was the one acting the complete opposite from what was considered normal. She glanced down at their hands pointedly and his eyes betrayed his surprise, almost as if grabbing her hand in his had been an unconscious act that he hadn’t even been aware of. He dropped her hand and she could swear she saw a touch of red on the tips of his ears, he quickly grabbed his menu and busied himself with deciding what to eat even though she knew he would have the same thing he got every time they went out for breakfast.

She reached across the table and gently ran her fingers over his wrist, his eyes darted up from the menu in silent question.

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it.” She said quietly, “but if we don’t want your team to know for a little while this probably isn’t the place to be holding hands over the table.” 

Secretly she had enjoyed the moment, it had felt so right to have her hand in his, so easy. It had been a long time since she had felt so at ease with a man and she didn’t know if it was just who Gibbs was as a person or if it was because they had been friends for a year before things had gone any further. She still didn’t know how to define their relationship, if they even had one. Sure they had agreed not to sleep with other people but that didn’t change a whole lot for her. She hadn’t slept with anyone else in well over six months, her last date had ended in her getting arrested, and she had found that even before they had crossed a line she had hadn’t been interested in sleeping with anyone else. 

Gibbs raised his lip in a half smirk and gave an imperceptible nod before going back to the menu.

“What’re you getting?” He asked, glancing back up at her.

“I’m thinking French Toast today.” She replied, “are you getting your usual?” 

Gibbs closed the menu and nodded, almost a soon as he had closed the menu Elaine appeared to take their orders.

N*C*I*S

Gibbs watched Jack place a tulip bulb in the hole he had just dug, her hair was pulled back into a pony tail and the few pieces that had fallen framed her face loosely. She had a streak of dirt over her cheek where she had tried to push her hair back and he smiled at how attractive it made her look, in an outdoorsy, natural way. They had returned from the diner a few hours earlier and had spent the remainder of the morning and early afternoon working around his backyard.

“I can’t believe you waited this long to plant your bulbs.” She said with a small shake of her head.

“Been busy.” He shrugged, “‘sides it’s kinda fun watching you do it covered in dirt.” 

She offered him a mild glare and flicked the dirt on her fingers over at him, he chuckled as he dug another hole for the last tulip bulb. He glanced over at her again and smiled when he saw how baggy his jacket was on her, she had put on her Army windbreaker again and as soon as he had seen it he had handed her one of his jackets with a pointed look. She had rolled her eyes but put on the jacket he handed her without protesting, more because she really didn’t want to ruin her own jacket than out of any real concern about what he thought of her wardrobe.

“I can put everything away if you wanna go get cleaned up.” He offered. 

“Are you trying to tell me I need a shower or something?” She teased with a raised eyebrow.

“Go look in the mirror.” 

“Alright, alright.” She replied with a laugh, “if you’re sure you’re good.”

“I’ll be fine.” 

She pushed herself up off the ground and dusted off her hands before heading into the house. She left her now muddy running shoes at the back door and made her way to the upstairs bathroom. As soon as she looked in the mirror she could see what Gibbs had meant, her cheeks were streaked with dirt and somehow she had gotten mud in her hair. She washed her hands and face off before pulling her hair out of the ponytail to attempt to get the mud out, she finally just gave up and hopped in the shower. By the time she got out and got changed into the extra change of clothes she had brought with her she could see Gibbs just finishing cleaning up the yard from the bedroom window.

She made her way downstairs and to the fridge to grab them each a bottle of water but got sidetracked when she noticed the chocolate cake sitting on one of the shelves in the fridge. She pulled it out with an excited smile.

When Gibbs came into the house he almost laughed when he saw Jack sitting on the counter in jeans and baggy knit sweater digging into the cake he had left in the fridge from the night before.

“Enjoying yourself?” He asked with a smirk.

“It is so good.” She replied with a small moan. 

He stepped over to her and stood between her legs when she parted them to make room for him, he almost laughed again when she raised her eyebrow almost as if to question his presence while she was clearly trying to enjoy her cake.

“Did you shower?” He asked as he pushed a piece of damp hair behind her ear.

“I couldn’t get the mud out of my hair.” She replied, “and I didn’t want to spend the rest of my day picking at it.” 

She took the last bite of her cake and put the plate down on the counter beside her before wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Did you save any cake for me?” He asked, taking a step closer to her.

“There’s still a piece in the fridge.”

She leaned forward an placed a gentle peck on his lips before pulling back with a small grin on her face. Her grin turned into a full on smile as he leaned forward, he pressed his lips to hers in a much deeper kiss and tangled his hand in the hair at the base of her neck. She knew it wouldn’t go anywhere but she was enjoying the moment none-the-less and wrapped one leg around his waist to pull him closer. She laughed when he broke the kiss and gently nipped at her neck before pressing a light kiss over the spot, he nuzzled his nose into her hair for a moment before pulling back and giving her another quick kiss.

“Oh my god!” 

There was nothing like the sound of Ellie Bishop’s surprised exclamation to break the playful atmosphere in the room, Jack immediately dropped her legs and Gibbs stepped away from her.

“Oh. My. God.” Ellie said again when she saw Jack who had been previously hidden behind Gibbs, “I’m so sorry, I… I’ll just go.” 

“It’s fine, Bishop.” Gibbs said with a sigh.

Ellie stopped in her tracks and turned to face the two of them, Gibbs was rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly and Jack was running her hand through her hair with one hand and biting her thumbnail with the other.

“What did you need?” Gibbs asked when the younger blonde didn’t say anything.

“Um, you said on Friday that you could look at my truck today, it’s making that noise again.” She explained quickly, her eyes anywhere but on Gibbs or Jack, “but I can come back another day.” She added quickly. 

“No, I’ll come take a look at it now.” He replied.

“Really, I don’t want to interrupt your day.” Ellie protested again.

“It’s fine, come on let’s go.” Gibbs said, gesturing for him to follow her.

Jack watched them leave and groaned when it hit her exactly how badly they had just screwed up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed, I don’t own anything but I absolutely love to hear from you guys! 
> 
> ~Katie


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six

Ellie watched Gibbs silently work on her truck as she attempted to work up the courage to say something to him, or at least ask him about what she had just witnessed.

“Just say it, Ellie.” Gibbs ordered with an exasperated sigh.

“Say what?” 

“Whatever it is you’re too afraid to say.” He replied, giving her a pointed look.

“How long?” She asked after a pause.

She knew he understood her question when he put down the wrench he was holding and just looked at her, he gave her a small shrug.

“A few days.” He replied slowly, “it’s not a public thing, hand me those pliers.” 

She handed him the pliers and nodded, she bit her lip for a moment and then summoned up the courage to ask what she really wanted to ask.

“And Rule Twelve?” 

Gibbs tensed slightly but didn’t look up at her as he continued to fiddle with something on her truck.

“Been more of a guideline for the last few years.” He replied, giving her another look, “it’s there to keep people from getting hurt… Sometimes missing out is worse than getting hurt.” 

Ellie nodded her understanding, she missed Qasim and thought about him almost everyday but she wouldn’t have traded their time together for anything in the world. She had seen the looks Gibbs and Jack had shared over the last year, she saw that Gibbs leaned on the older blonde more than he did with anyone else, he talked to her when he avoided everyone else. Realistically she probably should have seen this coming. 

“Are you happy?” She asked after a minute.

That time Gibbs looked up in surprise, he considered the question and then nodded slowly.

“She makes me smile.” He admitted with a shrug, “been a long time since I’ve had that.” 

She knew what he meant, Qasim had done the same thing for her and it was one of the things she had loved most about him. Looking back she could see that Gibbs had been laughing and smiling more since Jack had arrived on the scene. They had butted heads at first but after that they had been close, closer than Ellie had seen him get with any other co-worker.

“Don’t hurt her.” Ellie warned after a minute.

Gibbs looked up and grinned proudly at her.

“I’ll do my best.” He promised.

“And you’re secret’s safe with me until you’re ready for people to know.” She added.

“Thanks, Kid.” 

“But when you do tell people I want to be in the room when you tell Torres.” 

Gibbs chuckled and nodded his head. 

N*C*I*S

Gibbs lead Ellie back into the house to clean up and raised an eyebrow when he saw Jack standing in the kitchen wearing the ridiculous pink apron while mixing something in a large bowl. 

“Nice apron.” Ellie commented sarcastically. 

“I don’t have another change of clothes here.” Jack explained, “and I didn’t really feel like wearing raw hamburger for the rest of the day.” 

“What’re you making?” Gibbs asked, trying to get a peak in the bowl.

“Meatloaf.” Jack replied, “I figured it was my turn to make supper tonight and this was pretty much what was left for groceries so I’m not sure what we’re going to have with it.” 

“I’ll run to the store and pick up some stuff.” Gibbs offered, “there’s potatoes in the cupboard beside the sink, you stayin’ for supper, Bishop?” 

“I don’t want to interrupt your night.” Ellie replied.

“You’re not.” Jack assured her, “plus we scarred you a bit so I’m thinking we should probably feed you.”   
“Alright, I guess I’ll stay.” Ellie replied with a laugh, “As long as you’re sure you don’t mind.”

“It’s fine.” Gibbs reassured her, “I’m gonna run to the store, you wanna go for a ride?” 

“I think I’ll just stay here.” 

Gibbs nodded and then tilted his head towards the stairs to let whoever cared to know that he was going to change. 

Jack went back to mixing her hamburger, and watched as Ellie hopped up on the counter, noting that she stayed far away from where she had caught her and Gibbs making out like teenagers.

“Do you need any help?” Ellie asked.

“I’m good right now.” Jack replied, “did you get your truck fixed?”

“For now.” Ellie replied with a sigh, “It does this every few months.”

Jack nodded and looked up again when she heard Gibbs come back into the kitchen in fresh jeans and a red hoodie.

“You heading out?” She asked, looking over at Gibbs while attempting to blow a piece of hair out of her face.

He nodded and reached forward to brush the hair behind her ear for her, she smiled her thanks and took her hands out of the bowl and rinsed them off. 

“You want anything special?” He asked, opening the fridge to look inside. 

“Maybe some green beans or carrots.” Jack replied, “are you going to fight with me if I try to give you money for groceries?” 

“Yes.” Gibbs said as he grabbed his wallet and keys off the counter, “be back in an hour.” 

She shook her head with a small smile as he left the room, she heard the front door close and turned back to Ellie who was looking at the tips of her hair like they were the most fascinating thing in the world.

“Did you and Gibbs have a talk?” 

Ellie looked up, pursed her lips and nodded, “He’s happy, happier than I’ve ever seen him.” 

Jack could hear the implied warning in that sentence and she felt a small amount of pride wash over her as she looked at the young blonde who was so fiercely protective of Gibbs.

“I’m going to do my best not to hurt him.” Jack promised. 

Ellie nodded again, “I know and I trust you but…”

“But you love him and you want to make sure that he doesn’t have to hurt anymore than he already has.” Jack finished for her. 

“Pretty much.” Ellie agreed, “he’s just always been there for me and now it’s time for me to do the same for him.” 

“I get it.” Jack replied, “and I promise to do my best to be what he needs.” 

“Okay.” Ellie gave her a small nod before smirking, “I really didn’t think he had it in him.” She gestured to the hickey that was still visible on Jack’s neck.

“Oh trust me, he does.” Jack replied slyly.

“Okay ew.” 

“You brought it up.” Jack reminded her.

“And I never will ever again.” Ellie promised, “are you just about done there?”

Jack nodded and transferred the remainder of the mix into a bread pan and then placed it in the oven. 

“I’ve got the first two seasons of Grey’s Anatomy downloaded on my laptop.” Jack offered as she washed her hands off again.

Ellie smiled and hopped off of the counter before following Jack into the living room.

N*C*I*S

Jack pushed her empty plate back with a contented sigh, dinner had been relaxed as Ellie regaled her and Gibbs with stories about her family and what they were up to since the last time Gibbs had seen them and Gibbs had filled Ellie in on the latest updates he had received from Tony about him and Tali.

“That was good but I think I’m going to need to walk it off.” She said.

“It was amazing.” Ellie agreed, “thank you both again for supper.” 

She stood up and starting gathering plates, Jack and Gibbs quickly joined her and cleared the table.

“I’ve got this, you two go do something.” Jack ordered shooing them out of the kitchen.

Gibbs and Ellie both protested but she was insistent and didn’t budge until they finally left, Ellie requesting to see the progress Gibbs had made on his boat. Jack had been cleaning as she worked so there weren’t a lot of dishes left and within ten minutes she had everything cleaned up. She was almost surprised by how much she had enjoyed their dinner, listening to Ellie and Gibbs laugh and talk had made her night. It had been months since she had seen Ellie that relaxed and it did her heart good to see it. 

By the time she finished drying the last of the dishes Gibbs and Ellie reappeared from the basement, Ellie with a smile and Gibbs with a small smirk on his face.

“Well thanks again for supper but I’m going to head out, it’s a school night and I have a few things to do at home.”

“So you’re going to Nick’s for a drink.” Jack translated with a raised eyebrow.

“Psh, no.” Ellie said, obviously lying.

“Go. Have fun.” Jack instructed, shaking her head and laughing at the younger blonde, “not too much fun.” 

Ellie rolled her eyes but nodded before saying goodbye to the two older agents. Gibbs waited until she was gone before wrapping his arms around Jack’s waist from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder.

“Wanna go for a walk?” He muttered against her neck. 

She looked over at him in surprise but nodded slowly. 

“You’re okay with me wandering around your neighbourhood with you?”

“Wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.” He replied.

He kissed the side of her neck and stepped back, she followed him out into the foyer and pulled on her jacket, completely ignoring the look he gave her as he pulled on his own jacket. She slipped on the tennis shoes she had brought with her and followed him out the front door and down the porch steps. 

The air was cool but not overly cold and the sun was just starting to set, she glanced at her watch and sighed as she realized it was only 1745 and that this was the beginning of the end to having daylight on her drive home from work. She followed Gibbs down the street walking beside him with her hand brushing his every few steps as she studied the neighbourhood around her. 

“It’s a nice neighbourhood.” She commented.

“I’ve always liked it.” Gibbs agreed, “lotta younger families moving in now.” 

As he said this a young mother pushing a stroller and walking a large Saint Bernard approached, Jack could see the dog pulling on leash as soon as he noticed them and within seconds he was barreling towards them at full speed, his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging. He circled them sniffing excitedly while Jack put her hand down for him to sniff.

“Hey buddy.” She greeted with a laugh when the dog licked her hand and leaned against her legs.

“I am so sorry about that!” The woman exclaimed, picking up the leash. 

“Oh it’s no big deal.” Jack assured her, “if I get taken down by one hundred pounds of fur then that’s just how I go.” 

She crouched down and rubbed the dog’s belly as he wiggled happily on the ground.

“Is Brian at work?” Gibbs asked, looking at the woman.

“Yeah he got called out a couple of hours ago, I thought I would be okay to walk the dog and the baby at the same time but apparently I was wrong.” She turned to Jack, “I’m Melissa.” 

“Jack.” She replied with a friendly smile, “Nice to meet you.” 

“Do you want some help walking back, Missy?” Gibbs asked, looking between the stroller and the dog.

“No, I’ll be okay, it’s only two houses away but thank you.” 

“Alright, tell Brian to call me if he still needs help with that railing.” Gibbs offered as he stepped aside to let Melissa pass.

“I will, thanks again Gibbs, it was nice meeting you, Jack.” 

“You too.” Jack replied.

She fell into step beside Gibbs again as he continued on along the sidewalk. Her hand brushed against his and she looked down in surprise when he hooked his pinky around hers. It wasn’t obvious and it wasn’t holding hands but it was a small gesture that she appreciated nonetheless. 

“She seems nice.” Jack commented after a few minutes.

“Her husband works for Metro, I keep and eye on Missy and Kaylee when he’s on a long case and he checks up on my place when we have to go out of town for a case.” Gibbs replied, “she’s a nice kid.” 

They made idle chitchat for a few minutes and then fell into a comfortable silence for the rest of their walk. By the time the made it back to the house the sun had disappeared over the horizon, Jack waited while Gibbs unlocked his front door and then followed him into the house, a bit unsure of how they would spend the rest of their evening.

She had spent plenty of time in Gibbs house over the last year but most of the time they either had friends, kids or members of his team with them. The night before had been overtaken by work and the night before that had started fairly late and had ended with both of them in bed together, not a bad outcome in her mind but considering it was only 1815 they still had a decent amount of time left in the evening. 

“I’m gonna go take a quick shower.” He said after a minute of silence. 

She looked at the bit of mud and what looked like oil or grease in his hair from working on Ellie’s truck and nodded. 

“I’ve got my book.” She replied, “take your time.”

As she watched him turn around she knew he wouldn’t take his time, despite his usual way of putting on a mask she could see how much showering still bothered him. She understood why he didn’t like water on his face and when they had showered together the previous morning he had been careful to stay out of the spray or keep his back to it whenever possible. She suspected that having her there had provided a nice distraction but she knew that overcoming those types of demons took a long time, if they were ever completely overcome. 

She kicked off her shoes and made her way upstairs to grab her book and glasses out of her go bag before going back down to make herself comfortable on the couch. She debated starting a fire but she wasn’t sure what Gibbs would want to do with the evening so she refrained, pulling a blanket over her lap instead. It only took him ten minutes to reappear with damp hair wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. 

She had settled herself in the corner of the couch, her legs tucked under her with the book open in her lap, she glanced up at Gibbs as he started to build a small fire in the fireplace. 

“Wanna watch a movie?” He asked, his voice slightly muffled with his back turned to her.

“You can actually watch a movie on your TV?” She teased. 

She could practically feel him rolling his eyes as he turned from the fireplace with a goodnatured grin on his face. 

“Yes, I would love to watch a movie.” She added after a minute, “but if you want to work on your boat or something for a bit I can entertain myself just fine.”

She saw him glance towards the basement before he shook his head and opened one of the cupboards to reveal a small stack of VHS tapes. She smirked at his collection before setting her book down and making her way over to him. 

“Hmm.” She said looking down at the options, “I’m thinking The African Queen.”

“That’s Em’s favourite.” Gibbs commented as he stood up, VHS in hand.

“She’s got good taste.” 

She sat back down on the couch and stretched out so she was laying down with her head resting on a cushion in the corner of the couch. Gibbs popped in the VHS, stood up and walked into the kitchen.

“You want something to drink?” 

“I’ll just have a water please.” She called back, “I’m still on call until midnight.” 

Gibbs returned to the kitchen holding a beer in one hand and a bottle of water in the other, he raised his eyebrow when he saw how she was stretched out on the couch.

“You gonna let me have a spot?”

She smirked and nodded to the empty half of the couch but moved her feet when he raised an eyebrow. He sat down and handed her her bottle of water before placing his beer on the coffee table. He grabbed the remote and started the movie.

Jack reached up and shut of the lamp on her side of the couch and Gibbs did the same on his side of the couch, she tucked her arm under her head as the film started to play. She glanced over at Gibbs when she felt him pull her feet into his lap, he pulled the blanket over both of them and slowly rubbed his hand up and down her shin, his eyes never leaving the screen.   
N*C*I*S

By the time the credits were rolling Jack’s eyes were drifting shut as Gibbs gently massaged her feet under the blanket. She could barely remember what the movie had been about, her attention had been too focused on the man at the other end of the couch. His hand had never left her leg throughout the movie and every once in awhile his eyes would drift over to her, and he would offer her a small grin if he caught her staring at him. 

Gibbs gave her foot one final squeeze before standing up, and turning off the TV. He brought is empty beer bottle to the kitchen and then returned to the living room to find Jack sitting up, folding the blanket that had been spread across them. 

“You ready for bed?” He asked. 

She shook her head but yawned unconvincingly, she hadn’t slept great the night before and the afternoon working outside had worn her out more than she cared to admit.

Gibbs rolled his eyes with a fond smile as he watched her stand up and stretch, although he wasn’t normally one to go to bed early he was feeling pretty tired after spending the day outside and he had no doubt with Halloween being that week that there would be very little time for sleep for at least a few days.

“Go on up, just gonna lock up and I’ll be there in a minute.” 

She nodded and yawned again as she made her way up the stairs and into his mostly dark room. She was about to turn on the light switch when she noticed a soft glow emanating from the wall near her side of the bed. She stepped around the bed and pressed her fingers to her lips when she saw the small nightlight plugged into the wall, she knew exactly why it was there and had to bite her lip to keep it from trembling as she eyed the thoughtful gesture. To anyone else it would seem small but to her it was perfect.

“It has a sensor so it turns on when it gets dark.” Gibbs explained from the doorway.

She turned around to find him watching her with an unsure look on his face.

“I can get another one if it’s not enough… Or I can get rid of it… Just thought it might help.” He muttered, suddenly felling very unsure of the himself. 

Jack made her way around the bed and stepped up to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes to place a gentle kiss on his lips.

“It’s perfect.” She whispered before kissing him again, this time deeper.

Gibbs’ hands landed on her waist as she turned them around and guided him backwards until the back of his knees hit the mattress. He sat down and grinned into the kiss when she positioned herself in his lap, she broke the kiss long enough to pull his shirt over his head and trailed her lips across his cheek and then down his neck. He opened his eyes in surprise when he felt her stand up but quickly closed them with a quiet groan as he realized exactly what she was doing. He spread his legs to grant her the space she was silently asking for as she kissed a trail down his chest, over his stomach to the waistband of his pants. 

N*C*I*S

Jack’s head hit the pillow with a shaky but content sigh, “That should be illegal.” She muttered. 

Gibbs placed a kiss on the inside of her thigh and rested his chin on her abdomen as her leg slid off of his shoulder. He chuckled softly as he watched her blissed out expression and outright laughed when she moaned as he withdrew his fingers from her. 

“Oh my god.” She whispered, her hand running through his hair as she tried to gather her thoughts and stop her legs from shaking. 

Gibbs placed one more kiss on her abdomen before pulling himself up over her, he gave her a lazy kiss before rolling them over so she was laying on top of him. She burrowed her face into the side of his neck with a happy sigh and reached down blindly to pull the covers over them.

She was trying to just enjoy the moment and not let her mind wander to what would happen when they returned to work the following day. The weekend had been like a safe little cocoon for them and she was afraid that once Gibbs returned to work, and his rules, he would realize that this had been a mistake, that she had been a mistake and she wasn’t ready for that. She felt his hand gently tracing over her lower back and tried to focus on that instead.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

Set During Beneath the Surface 16.06

Twenty-Seven

She had been hoping that they would at least have a day or two before Gibbs’ team had caught as case but that hope had been in vain. The case had kept him away for most of the day and even when he had been in the building he had been too busy to stop in. Although even if he had been able to stop in she doubted she would have had time, her lunch had been interrupted by CIA Officer Clark who had tried to use her to get information but she had shut him down quickly and firmly. She wasn’t sure what exactly it was that he wanted but she definitely wasn’t going to be the one to give it to him. 

After that she had gone down to the evidence garage to check on Nick and had left more worried about him than she had been two weeks before. She still didn’t know exactly what was going on with the young man but she knew that they were quickly reaching a point where someone would need to say something. 

Jimmy was slowly unravelling and although she suspected there was something else at play she had no idea what the hell was going on with the Medical Examiner but she had caught him muttering something about ghosts and autopsy as he had bustled past her earlier that afternoon. 

At least Tim, Ellie and Kasie seemed to have their heads on straight, every once in awhile she would catch Ellie staring at her and she had no doubt she was doing the same with Gibbs but that was minor compared to everything else that was going on. 

She pushed her glasses up and rubbed her hands over her eyes. 

“Long day?”

She jumped at the familiar voice and looked over to see Leon leaning against the doorway to her office. 

“You could say that.” She replied before pursing her lips.

“Wanna talk about it?” 

“Not right now, what can I do for you?” 

“I’m about to go watch Special Agent Torres in interrogation, thought you might like to join me.” 

She looked at the files spread out in front of her and nodded, she could use a break and she wanted to check in on Nick again. She stood up, closed her office door and followed Leon down the hallway, they were just about to step onto the elevator when she glanced down and caught Gibbs’ eye in the bullpen, he made a small gesture and she nodded.

“I’ll meet you down there.” She told Leon, “it looks like Gibbs needs something.”

Leon nodded and stepped onto the elevator as Gibbs bounded up the stairs. She wished they were in private but she was very aware of the people bustling around below them as he walked up to her.

“Hey, Cowboy.” She greeted, “how’s the case going?”

He shrugged, “got a suspect in interrogation.”

“I know, Leon and I are heading down there.” She replied, “he said Nick’s doing the interrogation?”

“Yeah.” Gibbs replied, his face giving away his concern.

“I’m worried about him.” Jack stated quietly.

“Yeah.” He agreed with a sigh, “Bishop and McGee said the same thing.” 

Jack bit the tip of her thumb and tried to think of some magical solution but she knew there wouldn’t be one.

“I would offer to talk to him but he normally doesn’t take well to that.” 

“I’ll talk to him after this is over.” He replied, “you okay?” 

She smiled at his concern and nodded before raising an eyebrow at him to ask him the same question, he gave a silent nod and stepped back from her.

“I need to get down to interrogation but if you need anything just call, okay?” 

He nodded as she pressed the button for the elevator and gave her one last look before turning around and going back down to the bullpen. She watched him sit down at his desk before stepping onto the elevator. 

N*C*I*S

Jack pulled the covers back on her bed and climbed in, she had spent what was left of her evening doing a load of laundry and tidying up her already clean house. She had thought about going over to Gibbs’ house but had decided to give him time and space to talk to Nick. She glanced over at her phone but it was still dark and there was nothing from Gibbs. 

She and Ellie had gone for a quick drink with McGee and Jimmy after McGee had admitted his scheme and had been pranked by Jimmy in return. She picked up her book and put her glasses on deciding to read a bit before bed. Her bed was feeling uncomfortably empty all of sudden and she wasn’t sure she liked it, she had always been an independent woman but all of a sudden the empty bed seemed less of a safe haven and more of a burden. She managed to a get through a chapter of her book before her phone dinged on her bedside table. She practically dove for it and smiled happily when she saw that it was Gibbs, she quickly felt disgusted in herself for how excited she was to get a text from a guy.

You up?

She smirked when she realized that he probably had no idea how that question could be interpreted.

That sounds dangerously like a booty call, Special Agent Gibbs.

A what?

She laughed outright at that and decided to just call him, as much as she liked that he bothered to put the effort into texting her it took him forever to respond. 

Gibbs.

“Hey, Cowboy.” She greeted.

What the hell is a booty call?

She shook her head at the question, “when you call or text someone looking to hookup.” 

She wasn’t sure he would understand what hooking up was but he seemed to get it when she heard a snort through the line.

Not why I was calling but wouldn’t say no. 

She rolled her eyes, “Did you talk to Nick?” 

Yeah, he’s still not doin’ great… He’s drinking again.

“I don’t think we’re really the authority on drinking too much, Gibbs.” She pointed out, even though she understood what he meant. 

Yeah but we don’t take medication with a shot of gin.   
Jack pursed her lips and sighed, “yeah, that’s a problem.” 

She didn’t know how to help Nick, she knew Ellie was struggling just as much as he was but Ellie would talk it out and cry, Nick wouldn’t let anyone in and obviously didn’t want help. She understood it, hell she had gone through it. If it hadn’t been for Leon and Jackie Vance she probably would still be finding comfort at the bottom of a bottle and getting herself in trouble for things she did when she was drunk. The incident four months prior hadn’t been the first time Leon had bailed her out but she was determined it would be the last and she hopped that Nick would realize how close he was to rock bottom before it was too late.

What’re you doing?

“Just reading a bit before bed.”

Okay, I’ll let you get back to it.

“I wouldn’t mind some company.” She offered, “I mean you don’t have to… I know it’s late…”

Be there in half an hour. 

The line went dead before she could respond and she smiled softly to herself as she thought about the man she had just been talking to. She was pretty sure that that was the longest phone conversation he’d had, at least in recent history. She swung her legs out of bed and went down to unlock the front door for him, even though he said he’d be half an hour she knew it would actually be closer to fifteen maybe twenty minutes. She looked down at what she was wearing and debated changing but shrugged and decided against it, she was wearing comfy black PJ shorts, a tank top with no bra and her hair was in a messy bun, despite her teasing she knew Gibbs hadn’t been looking for a booty call and she seriously doubted he was really expecting anything except sleep. It was already close to midnight and they both had to be up early for work. 

She wandered back upstairs knowing Gibbs would lock up when he came in and settled back into bed with her book. 

Gibbs parked his car on the street outside of Jack’s house and grabbed his go bag off of the passenger seat, she hadn’t said she wanted him to spend the night but considering it was after midnight her figured it was implied. He wasn’t expecting anything out of the night, he was exhausted after their case and dealing with Nick and he had no doubt she was feeling the same way, he was just relieved he didn’t have to sleep in an empty bed after having her next to him all weekend. He had relied on her pretty much since he had met her but he was a little afraid about how quickly he had become dependent on her. His house had slowly become more of a home to him over the last few years. It was still filled with ghosts but mixed in were good memories, old and new that he had made with his first family and the one he had unintentionally created for himself but the idea of being there without Jack stirred something in him that he wasn’t exactly comfortable with. 

He walked up her front porch and tried the door which opened easily, he let himself in and locked up before going up the stairs where he could see light coming out of the room he knew to be her bedroom. He felt a sudden peace when he saw her sitting in bed, her glasses on the edge of her nose and a book open in her lap. The feeling caught him off guard, not because it was bad but because it had been a long time since he had felt it so overwhelmingly. Looking back though he realized that Jack had brought him peace for a long time, her gaze, her voice or her touch were enough to calm him when he was spiralling and the idea of her presence always made him smile.

“Hey, Cowboy.” She greeted softly.

She could see the thoughtful expression on his face but didn’t comment on it, she watched him drop his go bag on her dresser before making his way around the bed. He sat down beside her on the edge of the bed and rested a hand on her covered thigh, she closed her book and put it on the bedside table before taking off her glasses and leaning in for a slow, languid kiss.

“Hey.” He whispered when she pulled back and rested her forehead against his.


	28. Chapter 28

Twenty-Eight

 

Jack rolled over in bed and blinked blearily, her eyes drifted over to the clock and she was shocked to see that it was already 0530. She had set her alarm for 0600 and she was a bit surprised that she had woken up before Gibbs who was still sleeping soundly beside her. He was on his side facing her, one hand tucked under the pillow and the other one resting on her hip.

 

She carefully extracted herself from his light grip and slipped out of bed, she grabbed Gibbs’ hoodie off of the chair in the corner of her room and pulled it on as she walked down the stairs. She walked into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, while it was brewing she opened the fridge to see what she had in terms of breakfast food and pulled out a carton of eggs and a package of bacon. She got the bacon cooking as the coffee finished brewing.

 

By the time Gibbs made his way downstairs, his hair mussed from sleep, she was sitting on the counter, the bacon sizzling happily in a pan on the stove, with a cup of coffee in one hand and her phone in the other.

 

“Mornin’.” Gibbs muttered as he made a beeline for the coffee pot.

 

She handed him a mug from the rack behind her and accepted the quick kiss he offered her before he turned his attention back to the coffee pot. She shook her head with a small smile and went back to reading the news. She looked up again when she felt Gibbs’ hand settle on her bare thigh.

 

“That’s my sweater.” He commented, eyeing her outfit with a raised eyebrow. 

 

“It is.” She agreed, “It’s warm.” She added.

 

“I know.”

 

She gave a small laugh at his response and put her phone down before placing her hand on the back of his neck and pulling him between her legs.

 

“You sleep okay?” She asked.

 

“Yeah.”

 

She grinned at him and ran her fingers through his hair in attempt to fix it before giving up and leaning forward to give him a slow kiss.

 

“How’d you sleep?” He asked when the kiss came to a natural end.

 

“I always sleep good when you’re around.” She admitted quietly.

 

He could see the light flush across her cheeks at the admission and reached out to brush a stray hair behind her ear before kissing her forehead.

 

“Me too.” He replied, “Glad you called.” His eyes darted to the pan beside her.

 

“You just like me because I make breakfast.” She teased, pushing him back so she could hop off the counter.

 

“Among other things.” He replied, “you want another cup of coffee?” He asked, nodding to her now empty mug.

 

“Please.” She replied, “This’ll be done in a minute if you want to grab two plates out of that cupboard.”

 

She guided him through where she kept everything and within two minutes he had the table set and they were sitting down to eat. They spent most of the meal in companionable silence, occasionally speaking about work or one of the kids. A part of her was silently relishing how easy the conversation felt and the other part of her was amazed at how domestic it was.

 

“Good bacon.” Gibbs commented.

 

“I got it at a butcher downtown.” She informed him, “I like it better than grocery store bacon.”

 

She took another swallow of her coffee and a bite of bacon, “Have you heard anything from Ducky lately?”

 

“Nah, Palmer has though.” Gibbs replied, “said he’s doing’ well and enjoying himself.”

 

She nodded and watched Gibbs finish the last few bites of his breakfast before he stood up and made his way over to the sink. He rinsed off his plate and placed it in the dishwasher before wandering back over to the table and grabbing her now empty plate, pausing to give her a quick kiss.

 

“I’ll clean up.” He offered.

 

“You’re technically a guest here.” She reminded him with a small smirk.

 

“Yeah, whatever.” He snorted.

 

She knew that he was referring to the way that she cooked, cleaned and generally helped out whenever she stayed at his place, whether it was for a case or over the past weekend. She stood up and brought her coffee mug to the sink, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind as she did so.

 

“Thank you.” She whispered, planting a kiss between his shoulders over his t-shirt.

 

“Thanks for breakfast.” He replied, reaching behind him to give her ass a playful pat.

 

She chuckled and gave him another quick squeeze before pulling away to go get ready for work. It took her ten minutes to put on a light layer of makeup and fix her hair, by the time she wandered back into her room to get dressed Gibbs was sitting on the made bed with a book in his lap and her glasses on his face.

 

“Did you make the bed?” She asked with a raised eyebrow, “Are those my glasses?”

 

“Yes and yes.” He replied without looking up.

 

She rolled her eyes with a fond smile and pulled an outfit out of her closet, a knee length navy blue pencil skirt and a loose white blouse before grabbing clean underwear and a bra out of her drawers. She raised an eyebrow at Gibbs again when he closed the book to watch her intently.

 

“Can I help you?” She asked with a smirk.

 

“Nah, just keep doin’ what you were doin’.”

 

She snorted and rolled her eyes as she pulled off her pyjama’s and her underwear and quickly replaced them with new underwear and her clothes and tossed everything except for Gibbs’ sweatshirt in her laundry basket.

 

“I’m going to have to keep you around if you’re going to keep making the bed and doing dishes.” She commented lightly.

 

“Not to mention _other_ things.” He added, wiggling his eyebrows.

 

She burst out laughing at his antics and lightly whacked his good knee as she walked passed him.

 

“Come on, Cowboy, let’s go to work.”

 

She laughed again when he stood up and looped his arm around her waist before pulling her back against his chest. She tilted her head to the side when he kissed the side of her neck and then turned around and placed her hands on his cheeks.

 

“Give me back my glasses and get going.” She muttered.

 

“Bossy.” He whispered before leaning down to claim her lips in a kiss.

 

She smiled when he pulled back and handed her back her glasses, she stood up on her tiptoes and gave his lips a quick peck before backing well out of arms length so he couldn’t pull her back in.

 

“I’ll see you at work.”

 

“‘Kay.” He replied, stepping forward to drop one last kiss on her forehead.


	29. Chapter 29

Twenty-Nine

 

Back to back to back cases had kept them busy for the last two weeks and Jack could count on one hand how many times she had seen Gibbs and only a few of them had been alone, a stolen moment in her office here and there but that was it. They had an unspoken rule about leaving their relationship out of the office so it had been two weeks since the last time she had really touched him, two weeks since she had kissed him and she was feeling the loss.

 

Their bi-weekly poker night had been cancelled the night before because of the case Gibbs’ team had wrapped early that morning, just in time for the dinner Tobias had invited them to. She put the finishing touches on her light make up and was fixing a few stray hairs when she heard her front door open.

 

“Jack?”

 

“In my room, Cowboy!” She called back.

 

She stood up and adjusted her sweater as Gibbs walked into the room, she rolled her eyes at the way he eyed her up and down and laughed when he grabbed her hips.

 

“Missed you.” She whispered against his lips.

 

He bumped his nose against her cheek and squeezed her hips, “Let’s blow off this dinner.” He muttered against her cheek, “Stay here instead.”

 

She smiled softly but shook her head, “If it weren’t for Emily I would but she just got home for her reading week, she wants to see you.”

 

“ _Us.”_ Gibbs corrected.

 

“I’m still not even sure how I got roped into this.” Jack replied, giving him another kiss before stepping away from him.

 

Gibbs shrugged, “No idea, Tobias just said that I could bring you if I wanted.”

 

“He’s never offered that before.” Jack replied suspiciously, “If anything he just invites me himself, he doesn’t leave it up to you and this is supposed to be a family dinner between the three of you, I don’t want to get in the way.”

 

“You’re not gonna be in the way, and Em brought her boyfriend home, she’ll appreciate the buffer.”

 

“Sounds like fun.” She deadpanned.

 

“I thought so.” Gibbs replied seriously, “I’ll make it up to you later.” He promised after a moment.

 

“You’d better.”

 

Her lip quirked up slightly and her eyes twinkled when she saw the telling smirk on his face, she knew exactly how he would _make it up to her._ He hooked his fingers into the belt loops on her jeans and pulled her against him again.

 

“We’re going to be late.” She warned when he tilted his head down and pressed his lips against hers.

 

“Whatever.” He muttered against her lips.

 

She rolled her eyes and let him wrap his arms around her waist.

 

N*C*I*S

 

Jack stepped into Tobias’ front room and rolled her eyes at the voice that greeted them from the kitchen.

 

“You’re fifteen minutes late!”

 

“You got here just in time.” Emily muttered from the couch, “I was about to kill him.”

 

Jack snorted and nodded to the young man sitting on the couch next to Emily.

 

“Jack.” Gibbs greeted nodding at the young man who nodded in return, “Jacquline Sloane.” He added, as Jack held out her hand.

 

Her eyes darted over to Gibbs as she held out her hand to the boy, it was rare that Gibbs called her by her given name and she found it oddly… Sexy.

 

“Just call me Sloane.” She offered, “It’ll make tonight a bit less confusing.”

 

“Where the hell were you?” Fornell exclaimed as he walked into the living room, an apron tied around his waist and a dishtowel thrown over his shoulder.

 

“We were-” Sloane started

 

“Is supper done?” Gibbs asked.

 

“No but that’s not-”

 

“Then it doesn’t matter.” Gibbs interrupted, “We’re here.”

 

Sloane and Emily both rolled their eyes at the exchange.

 

“Were you expecting someone else?” Sloane asked when the doorbell rang.

 

“That would be the reason Dad’s having an aneurism because you guys were late.” Emily informed her as she pushed herself up from the couch, “It’s also the reason he invited you, Sloane.”

 

“You didn’t.” Gibbs muttered darkly, glaring at Fornell.

 

“Oh but he did!” Emily called over her shoulder, “Welcome to Hell.” She added more quietly before stepping towards the door.

 

“I’m gonna kill you.” Gibbs muttered, glaring at the other man.

 

“Someone care to tell Jack and I what’s going on?” Sloane muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

 

“The in-laws are coming for dinner.” Jack supplied from the couch.

 

“Why would you drag her into this?” Gibbs practically hissed, gesturing to Sloane, “Why would you drag _me_ into this?”

 

“You married her first.”

 

“You married her twice!” Gibbs countered with a glare.

 

“Can we have this argument later when your in-laws aren’t about to come in?” Sloane suggested, “Tobias go finish working on supper before Gibbs’ head explodes.”

 

She wasn’t sure she had ever seen a grown man hightail it out of a room so fast but Fornell was gone before she could even blink and she was left with a seething Gibbs at her side and the sound of voices coming from the front door. She reached over and gently placed a hand on Gibbs’ folded arms.

 

“A few hours and then we can go home.” She whispered.

 

He seemed to soften a bit and she offered him a small smile as he placed his hand over hers, her back was to the front door and she was so focused on Gibbs that she didn’t even realize that Emily had come back into the room until she heard the young redhead clear her throat.

 

“Not to interrupt whatever gross moment you two have going on but there are other people in the room.” She commented.

 

She dropped her hand and turned to face Emily and the older couple standing behind her with a friendly smile. She had seen enough pictures of Diane Fornell to see the resemblance between her and the older woman standing in front of her.

 

“Leroy.” The older woman greeted, civilly if not politely.

 

“Susan.” Gibbs replied with a small nod, “Dan, good to see you.”

 

Dan nodded and looked to Sloane, “Dan Stevens.” He greeted with a polite smile and outstretched hand.

 

“Jacquline Sloane.” She replied, taking the hand with a smile, “I normally go by Jack but just call me Sloane.”

 

“Nice to meet you, Sloane.” Dan replied, “This is my wife Susan.”

 

Susan nodded and turned to Emily, “Where’s your father?”

 

“In the kitchen finishing supper.” Emily replied.

 

“I’m going to go give him a hand.” Gibbs stated, “Jack you wanna come.” He asked nodding to the kitchen.

 

“I’m good, you go ahead, I want to hear all about how Emily’s semester is going.” She replied, moving around the living room to take a seat on the couch.

 

“If you stab him do it on the tile!” Emily called after her uncle, “I don’t want to clean the carpets.”

 

Jack snorted at the young woman’s antics and listened in silence as she told them about her semester, she remained quiet as she visited with her grandparents.

 

N*C*I*S

 

The rest of the dinner passed by, somewhat tensely but otherwise uneventful. Jack had to stop herself from snorting or outright laughing at Gibbs and Fornell a few times, she found their relationship both fascinating and hilarious. After dinner and desert they gathered back in the living room.

 

“So I’ve told everyone what’s new with me, anything new with you Uncle Gibbs?” Emily asked, turning to her uncle.

 

“Yeah, Jethro, any new girlfriends?” Fornell goaded, much to Sloane’s amusement.

 

“Uncle Gibbs doesn’t date.” Emily snorted.

 

“Hey!” Gibbs replied indignantly.

 

“I can count on one hand the girlfriends you’ve had since I was born.” Emily replied seriously, “Stephanie, Aunt Jenny, Hollis, who we still hang out with, we’ve never been able to confirm if you and that lawyer were a thing or if you were just sleeping together.”

 

“Emily!” Fornell exclaimed.

 

“Sorry.” Emily replied, raising her hands in apology, “and then there was that doctor… She was… Different and that was it, and none of them lasted longer than a year.”

 

“She has a point.” Tobias added.

 

“Don’t have time to date.” Gibbs muttered.

 

She looked at him across the room and tried to read his relatively blank face, she knew the topic was probably uncomfortable for him, especially with both her and his ex-in-laws in the room and judging by the knowing glances Emily was tossing between them she knew exactly why.

 

“Well I hate to interrupt this but I have an early morning tomorrow.” She said, immediately noting the relieved look onGibbs’ face.

 

“Good idea.” Gibbs added standing up abruptly.

 

Jack almost laughed at his eagerness, both to get out of the room and probably to get her home and get her naked. They exchanged goodbyes with everyone and Jack wandered outside while Gibbs said a few quiet words to Fornell at the door and shot him a grin as they finally climbed into the truck.

 

“I’m gonna kill him.” Gibbs muttered as he put he truck in reverse.

 

Jace reached over and placed her hand on his knee reassuringly.

 

“Give me twenty minutes and I’ll make sure you forget all about it.” She promised.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for Jenni3penny... I blame you for encouraging this idea but I also thank you because I have fallen in love with it lol... Hope you all enjoy!

Thirty

 

Jack lightly traced her fingers over Gibbs’ bare chest as she snuggled closer to him, her breasts pressed against his side and her head resting on his shoulder as she tried to catch her breath and calm her racing heart. As she calmed down her mind started to wander and eventually landed back on something Emily had said earlier that evening, something she was genuinely curious about but was almost afraid to ask.

 

“You’re thinking pretty loud there, Jack.” Gibbs muttered, his voice rough.

 

“Something Em said got me thinking.” She admitted, shifting closer to him, trying to fight off the chill in the air.

 

“Mmm?”

 

She almost dropped the subject, not wanting to ruin his satiated haze but she knew the minute she said never mind he would push it anyway.

 

“Why did she say you don’t date?”

 

She felt him tense slightly underneath her and the hand that was lightly running through her hair stilled.

 

“It’s been a while.” He responded after a moment.

 

She wanted to ask how long awhile was but she had more pressing questions, she would have time for that one later.

 

“Why?”

 

She felt him tense even more and she rested her hand over his heart and kissed his shoulder reassuringly.

 

“Timing was never right.” He replied with a shrug, “Last relationship ended the same time as the Navy Yard bombing, family needed me after that, Duck had a heart attack, Leon took a long time to get his head back on straight… Then Jackie and Eli David were killed, Ziva left and Bishop showed up, Delilah got hurt, Diane died and Tobias and Em needed me. Tori was born, Ellie got divorced and then Ziver died…”

 

He trailed off and she nuzzled against his shoulder in understanding, she knew how much he had loved the younger woman.

 

“Ellie’s fiancé was killed, Delilah and Tim found out they were pregnant and got married… Leon, Tobias and the kids needed me, there was never time for dating.”

 

She paused her gentle caresses over his chest as she mulled over his words.

 

“Your kids still need you.” She whispered softly.

 

She wasn’t fishing for a ‘you’re different’ or anything of the sort, she was seriously considering walking away if there was any chance she would interfere with his relationship with his kids.

 

“They need you now more than ever.” She added.

 

She wanted to push herself up so she could see his face but she remained laying down, her head resting on his chest. She could hear his heart pounding under her ear and instantly felt bad for ruining what had been an otherwise good night.

 

“It’s different.” He stated after a moment, “You know them, you’re part of their lives too.”

 

She wanted to argue that she wasn’t really a part of their lives but the more she thought about it the more she realized it was true.

 

“And no one else was?”

 

“I never really let anyone get close to them.” Gibbs replied with a small shrug that jostled her slightly, “Hollis worked with them a few times but never spent any real time with them and it was the same with anyone else I dated… They never knew them the way you do.”

 

“That’s because I work closely with them everyday.” She countered.

 

“A lotta people work with them everyday, Jack.” He reminded them, “Palmer works with all the agents but you’re the only one Tori practically worships, El goes to you for everything and she doesn’t open up easily. You were there when Tim and Delilah had the twins and you talk to Delilah more than I do, you offer to babysit whenever they need someone… You know my kids because you made the effort to know them, you let them be just as much a part of your life as you are a part of theirs… You’ve got toys for the kids at your place and a picture of all of them hanging on your fridge… That’s the difference, Jack… My kids still need me but they need you just as much.”

 

“And sometimes it’s easier to share the load.” She whispered against his chest.

 

“Been doin’ it alone for a long time.” He muttered, “Kinda nice to have a partner, ‘specially now that their starting to have their own kids and the family’s only getting bigger.”

 

“You just want someone to share babysitting duty with.” She teased lightly.

 

“Want someone to share the little things with.” He replied seriously.

 

“Yeah?” She asked, pushing herself up so she could look down at him.

 

They had only ever talked about their relationship in the sense of deciding that they weren’t going to see other people but this felt like something else, not a proposal by any means, neither of them were anywhere near wanting that, but almost like a question of her commitment.

 

“Yeah.” He replied, his eyes searching hers.

 

“Okay.” She whispered, leaning down to claim his lips in a gentle kiss.

 

It was one simple word but she could tell it was exactly what he had been looking for.

 

N*C*I*S

 

Jack shook her head as Gibbs opened the front door of the dinner for her, Tori sitting happily on his shoulders and grinning down at her.

 

She stopped in front of Gibbs and held up her arms for the toddler, “You can’t fit through the door on GG’s shoulders, silly girl.”

 

She caught the girl as Gibbs bent down to help her off of his shoulders and laughed when Tori planted a big kiss on her cheek. She settled Tori on her hip and stepped into the diner.

 

“Good morning!” Elaine called, “Hey, little miss.”

 

Tori waived at Elaine and wiggled down from Jack’s arms as the woman approached.

 

“Are you out with Grandpa and Nona?” Elaine asked.

 

“Yeah! Daddy and Mommy are shopping.” Tori said, her eyes wandering around the diner as she spoke.

 

“You’re too good to your kids.” Elaine teased, winking as she grabbed menus for them, “Booth?”

 

“Please.” Jack replied, grabbing Tori’s hand before following Elaine to their normal booth.

 

Jack slid into the booth and settled Tori beside her as Gibbs slid in across from them.

 

“Two coffees coming up, Chocolate milk for Tori?” Elaine asked.

“Please!” Tori replied enthusiastically.

 

“Can I have a chocolate milk to please?” Jack asked, ignoring Gibbs’ quiet chuckle.

 

Elaine nodded and laughed before wandering away, leaving them alone to scan their menus. Jack watched Gibbs patiently hand Tori crayons over the top of her menu and smiled softly. To anyone else he was a gruff former marine who took no shit but to his family he was a teddybear. She loved to study him because to everyone else he was an emotionally constipated, functional mute but the fact of the matter was that the man sitting across from her loved more deeply than anyone she had ever met. He would do anything for his family up to and including dying for them if necessary, he was the cornerstone that they all relied on to hold them steady in times of trial and the person they celebrated with in the good times. He was the best father and grandfather anyone could ask for even if his words of praise were few and far between when they did come they were sincere and powerful to those receiving them. Anyone who knew him in a professional capacity would be shocked by the gentle man sitting across from her patiently handing his granddaughter crayons while asking her about the different colours of the rainbow, to anyone else it would be shocking but to her it was one of the reasons why she was slowly but surely falling in love with him.

 

“What’s going on, Jack?”

 

She shook her head to snap herself out of her reflection and smiled at him softly. “Nothing, just admiring your way with kids.”

 

She saw the slight raise in his eyebrow at her comment and if she looked close enough she could almost swear she saw a light flush spreading across his nose. She reached across the table and gently brushed her fingers over the back of his hand. She pulled back just as Elaine reappeared to drop off their drinks and to collect their orders.

 

“What’s on the agenda after this?” Jack asked after Elaine was gone.

 

“Groceries probably.” Gibbs replied, “I can drop you and Tor off at home first, if ya want.”

 

“We’ll go with you.” Jack took a sip of her coffee, “I need to pick up a few things and find stuff for Thanksgiving dinner, what time is everyone coming on Thursday?”

 

“Around twelve if nobody catches a case.” Gibbs replied, “We might have to push it to Friday or Saturday.”

 

Jack nodded and took a drink of her chocolate milk enjoying the sweetness of it as Tori did the same across the table. She let her eyes wander around the now familiar diner and smiled when she made eye contact with the regulars sitting at the counter. She had gotten a few wide eyed looks the first few times she had shown up with Gibbs but people had quickly gotten used to her being around, just as she had gotten used to seeing all of the familiar faces as she and Gibbs ate breakfast together.

N*C*I*S

Jack smirked as she listened to Gibbs grumbling about the size of her car from the driver seat, she was glad that they had dropped Tori off at the Palmer’s because some of Gibbs’ language probably wasn’t appropriate for the three year old.

 

She patiently listened to the grumbling as they pulled into the driveway and climbed out of the car. Jack waved to the neighbours across the street and rounded the car to pop the trunk, she pulled a handful ofgrocery bags out of the trunk and turned to the house. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the small brown ball of fur sitting in front of the front door.

 

“Uh, Gibbs?” She asked, keeping one eye on the puppy as she turned to Gibbs, “Did you get a puppy and not tell me?”

 

“No.” Gibbs replied, his head buried in the trunk, “Why?”

 

She waited for him to stand up before pointing to the front porch with a raised eyebrow, “Because there’s a puppy on your porch.”

 

Gibbs stepped around the car and glared at the small animal, “Probably belongs to one of the neighbours.” He put down the grocery bags and waved the dog off, “Shoo, go home.”

 

Jack rolled her eyes, “You can’t just tell the dog to shoo, Gibbs.” She said in exasperation, “What if he doesn’t know how to get home?”

 

“He’s a dog.” Gibbs replied dryly.

 

“He’s a _baby.”_ Jack corrected, “come on, we’ll put away the groceries and go see if we can find his owners.”

 

“We don’t have a leash.”

 

“I think we can probably handle carrying him.” Jack replied, rolling her eyes as she slowly approached the puppy, “Hey, buddy…. Do you wanna go find your Mommy and Daddy?” She cooed.

 

It was Gibbs’ turn to roll his eyes as the puppy did a full body wiggle and head-butted Jack’s extended hand. He knew his afternoon plans were effectively shattered when Jack scooped the puppy up and kissed the side of its head…. He only hoped they could find the owner otherwise he suspected that he would have a puppy before Thanksgiving.

 


	31. Chapter 31

Thirty-One

 

He glared at the puppy disdainfully, the little moron was chewing on yesterdays newspaper on his living room floor and he wasn’t quite impressed. They had spent hours wandering around his neighbourhood trying to find its owners but hadn’t had any luck. In all reality he knew that it would have taken him an hour tops but Jack had insisted on getting chatty with his neighbours and their children who all absolutely adored the blonde woman.

 

The woman in question had disappeared an hour earlier and judging by the sound of the car door slamming outside she had just returned. He was about to get up from his spot on the couch when his front door opened followed by the sound of bags rustling and a short struggle. The little moron, as Gibbs had officially dubbed it, looked up from its paper and bolted towards the door.

 

“Hi, Baby!”

 

He rolled his eyes at the enthusiastic greeting followed by a string of babbling that he chose not to listen to. He pushed himself off of the couch just as Jack staggered into the living room weighed down with shopping bags.

 

“What the hell did you buy?” He asked as he grabbed half of the bags from her, “You said you were getting food.”

 

“I did.” She replied, holding up the bag of puppy chow, “but then I thought he’d need bowls, and a collar and leash and something to play with.”

 

“I have bowls and it has a toy.” He replied, nodding to the shredded newspaper.

 

“That is not a toy and _it_ is a he.” Jack replied pointedly as she dropped the bags on the living room floor, only adding to the mess the little moron had already made.

 

He watched as she started pulling stuff out of the shopping bags, first several plush toys that she tossed to the puppy who darted back and forth between them, followed by two bowls, one blue with little anchors all over it and the other camouflage patterned, and then a navy blue collar and leash set.

 

“They didn’t have Camo for some reason.” Jack explained when Gibbs raised an eyebrow, “but I think he’ll look real pretty in blue… Won’t you baby?” She cooed.

 

She pulled another bag into her lap and pulled out a plush dog bed, once again navy blue with little anchors all over it.

 

“It doesn’t need a bed.” He grumbled.

 

“ _He_ needs somewhere to sleep.” Jack countered, “He’s in an unfamiliar environment and he’s probably terrified.”

 

Gibbs glanced over to the little moron who was rolling around on the floor with a stuffed squirrel, “He looks terrified.” He deadpanned.

 

Jack pushed herself up off the ground and grabbed the bag of food, the bowls and the last shopping bag before wandering into the kitchen.

 

“Are you hungry, Baby?”

 

Gibbs watched the Little Moron pop up from playing and scurry into the kitchen his little tail wagging the whole time. He heard a few sharp yips followed by the sound of food being dumped into the bowl. He bent over and gathered all of the empty bags and toy packagings before wandering into the kitchen where the puppy was devouring a bowl of food.

 

“I called the vets office the McCleans recommended and they said we could come in tomorrow and see if he’s chipped.” Jack said as she put the dog food under the kitchen sink, “I’ll take him in before work tomorrow, I don’t have any appointments until ten, if he’s not chipped I’ll make up some flyers.”

 

Gibbs nodded even though she couldn’t see it and reached past her to open the drawer where he kept the takeout menus.

 

“Chinese please.” Jack stated without turning around.

 

He dug around until he pulled out the correct menu and wandered back into the living room to call their favourite restaurant. He placed their normal order and hung up the phone.

 

“I’m going to take him for a walk before supper.” Jack announced as she lead the puppy, proudly wearing his new collar, into the living room, “Do you want to come or are you going to stay here and grumble at the empty house?”

 

“Food’ll be here soon.”

 

“I’m not going far, little man is tired.” She replied, “We’ll stay in view of the house.”

 

“Okay.”

 

He watched her pull on a heavy winter coat, earmuffs, a scarf and a pair of gloves. He knew that it was chilly out the November air had a bite to it, especially since the sun had set half an hour earlier but Jack looked like she was wandering into the Arctic.

 

“Do you think he’ll be warm enough?” She asked, looking down at the puppy.

 

“He’ll be fine.” Gibbs promised as he pulled on his own jacket and gloves, “He has fur.”

 

He stepped outside and shut the door behind him, making sure to lock it. Most days he didn’t bother but if Jack was around he always made sure he took extra precautions. He followed her down the front steps and out the driveway, he knew immediately that this wouldn’t be a brisk walk, even though she looked like she was already freezing to death she was letting the dog sniff everything as if they had all the time in the world.

 

“I don’t know what to get the kids for Christmas.” Jack stated as they slowly wandered down the sidewalk.

 

“You don’t need to get them anything.”

 

The look she tossed him told him that that was the wrong answer, “Which kids?” He asked after a minute.

 

“Your kids, your grandkids are easy.” Jack replied as she watched the puppy roll on the grass on the side of the road, “What’re you doing? And don’t say nothing because I know you’re doing something.”

 

“I’m makin’ Ellie a new easel, Jimmy and Breena mentioned wanting a bookshelf, Tim and Delilah are getting those shadow box thingies for the twins stuff and I don’t know what I’m doin’ for Torres yet.”

 

“That’s a lot of projects.” Jack commented as she nudged the puppy forward.

 

“Work on it all year.” Gibbs replied, “I’ve been making Tori a doll house since September, made one for Tali last year… Kids normally tell me what they need, Tim always says they don’t need anything then Delilah will give me something specific, same with Breena, not a whole lotta mystery Christmas morning but they get exactly what they want or need.”

 

Jack nodded and they continued on in silence for another two minutes before Jack turned around and began the slow walk back to the house. He could see her shivering out of the corner of his eye, he debated for a minute before he stepped closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder to pull her against his side. She looked up at him in surprise but leaned further into him. He smirked when she snuck the hand that wasn’t holding the puppy’s leash into his jacket pocket with a contented sigh. The walk back to the house was much quicker and judging by the shivering from both Jack and the Little Moron it had everything to do with the cold air.

 

“I told you he would be cold.” Jack stated as he shut the door behind them.

 

He bit his lip against the ‘yes dear’ that desperately wanted to escape and watched her shed her outdoor clothing before scooping up the puppy.

 

“Oh, poor baby.” She cooed, cuddling the dog against her chest, “Let’s go get a fire going.”

“Do you want me to do it?” Gibbs offered as he pulled off his jacket.

 

“No, I got it.” Jack called back from the living room.

 

He chuckled at her stubborn independence and grabbed his wallet off the foyer table when he saw the sweep of headlights. He met the delivery man at the front door and rolled his eyes when the puppy started barking in the other room only to be quickly silenced by Jack’s gentle admonition.

 

He paid for the food and carried the large paper bag into the living room, “Do you wanna eat in here or the dining room?”

 

“We may as well just eat here.” She replied, “Do you want to watch a movie or do you want to work on your boat for a bit after?”

 

“We can watch something.”

He’d spent most of his free time in the last two weeks working on the boat and he knew there was a good chance they’d catch another case soon, he wanted whatever time he could get with Jack.

 

Forty minutes later they were stretched out on the couch, empty takeout containers had been tossed in the paper bag on the coffee table. The fire was crackling on the hearth, they were laying out across the couch, Gibbs on his back with Jack wedge between his side and the back of the couch her head cushioned on his chest. The puppy had settled in the plush bed Jack had bought him on the floor in front of the couch and Jack’s arm was dangling down resting gently on his back.

 

She had drifted off within ten minutes of them laying down and Gibbs was just enjoying the silence. He had put the TV on mute half an hour prior and the only sound in the room was the crackling of the fire and Jack’s quiet snoring. He ran his hand up and down her back absentmindedly as he thought about the coming holidays. He used to dread the holidays, it had only been in the past few years that he had been okay with them. He had come to tolerate them over the years of Abby’s excitement but he hadn’t truly enjoyed him until his kids had had their own kids. He still felt a pang of pain every-time he remembered Christmases with Kelly and Shannon but he had finally come to the point where he could work past that and actually participate in the holidays again.

 

He still didn’t know what he was going to get for Jack, he knew she wouldn’t be around for the actual holiday, her trip to Vermont had been booked ages ago and he had told her not to cancel, she needed the break and he knew that. He would miss her more than he cared to admit in that moment but he didn’t want to intrude on her independence or her life outside of him. Even without her being there for the actual holiday he really did want to do something special for her.

 

She shifted beside him and he tightened his grip on her and dropped a kiss on her hair.

“Loosen your grip, Cowboy.” She muttered, “I’m gonna take him out one last time.”

 

“I can go.” He offered.

 

He had no real desire to actually spend time with the puppy but he felt bad making her go outside. He felt Jack mutter a weak protest against his chest but he ignored it and carefully rolled off the couch. He reached down and gently scooped up the puppy, he grabbed the leashand his jacket off of the coat rack in the foyer before he made his way to the back door.

 

By the time he came back in five minutes later Jack was up and tidying up the living room. He stood back and watched the way she straightened the couch cushions and folded the blanket she had been using and couldn’t help but smile at how at home she looked. He liked that she was comfortable in his home, he liked that she enjoyed spending time in his domain.

 

“Are you done staring?” She asked, a small smirk on her face.

 

“Just enjoying the view.” He replied, “You heading to bed?”

 

“Yeah.” She replied, trying and failing to stifle a yawn, “Are you going to the basement for a bit?”

 

“No.” He replied, “Go on up, just gonna lock up.”

 

He watched her lean down to scoop up the puppy and then bent down to pick up his bed.

 

“Jack….”

 

“We can’t just leave him down here, Cowboy.”

 

He rolled his eyes at her and glared at the puppy who was wagging his tail triumphantly.

 

“Come on, Little man, let’s go up to bed.”

 

He listened to her voice grow quieter as she made her way up the stairs, babbling away to the puppy every step of the way. He wandered around shutting off lights and locking the front and back door before making his way upstairs where Jack was already in bed, her glasses on and a book open in her hands. The puppy stopped circling the bed Jack had set up for him on the floor and watched him as he entered the room.

 

“I’m gonna grab a quick shower.”

 

Ten years ago, hell two years ago he would have asked Jack to join him but he had no desire to spend more time than absolutely necessary standing under the water. They had showered together a few times but it was rare, regardless of his ability to block out the memories he was still getting a bit too old to risk doing anything too adventurous in the shower.

 

“Dog better still be on the floor when I come back!” He called over his shoulder.

 

“Aw, damn.” Jack whined playfully, “I was going to give him your side of the bed and make you sleep on the floor.”

 

“Jack…”

 

“Yes, Dear.”

 

Her laughter and the sound of her voice as she muttered to the puppy was the last thing he heard as he closed the bathroom door and the only thing that crossed his mind was ‘ _I could get used to this.’_

**Author's Note:**

> I am currently republishing this and will include all original Author's Notes in each chapter just to keep it similar.


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